Eric Greitens, Trinity '96, won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday.
A former Angier B. Duke Scholar who studied ethics, philosophy and public policy at Duke, Greitens defeated businessman John Brunner as well as more experienced Republican leaders Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder and former Missouri House Speaker and U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway.
“Together, we are leading a conservative revolution to take our state back,” Greitens said at his victory party Tuesday night.
Greitens will face Attorney General Chris Koster, a former Republican state senator and prosecuting attorney, who won the Democratic gubernatorial primary, in the general election Nov. 8.
In his campaign ads, he vowed to “take aim at politics as usual” and fix the state Capitol which he said is run by “career politicians owned by corrupt consultants, high-paid lobbyists and special interests.”
Since his time at Duke, Greitens has built an extensive resume.
After graduating in 1996, he attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar where he earned his master’s degree in 1998 and a Ph.D. in 2000.
He then worked as a United States Navy SEAL officer, and he has deployed four times to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and Southeast Asia. He has received the Navy Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
When he returned from Iraq, Greitens donated his combat pay to found The Mission Continues, a non-profit that assists wounded and disabled veterans.
Greitens was appointed by the President to serve as a White House Fellow in 2005 in honor of his leadership and public service.
He is also a renowned a boxer and black belt in taekwondo and has worked as a humanitarian volunteer and researcher in locations like Bolivia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Zaire.
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