Last week, former B-2 pilot and Republican Senate candidate Tony Monetti leaped off a 30-foot cliff shouting “all in” as he jumped. This jump defined Monetti’s commitment to tour 114 Missouri counties before the primary on August 7. Why 114 counties? That’s all there are.
As a U.S. Air Force veteran who survived two wars, Tony Monetti is not going to let 100-degree heat, a five-county-a-day itinerary, or a well-funded opponent defeat him in the primary–at least not without a fight.
For Monetti, the road to the Senate is not only long, but it is also uphill. His principal opponent, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, has the name recognition, the money, and the endorsements, including one from President Trump. What Monetti has–and what some say Hawley lacks–is the fire in the belly.
In something of a whistle stop in Kansas City on Friday, Monetti told the local TV stations that the people of Missouri resent being told “who’s going to be our next senator.”
According to Monetti, the people are not enthused to see “a ladder climbing attorney replacing another attorney.” He was referring here, of course, to Hawley and McCaskill.
Monetti defines himself as a patriot, a conservative, a Trump supporter, and a Christian author. Although his profile has not been high enough to get Trump’s endorsement, he has received the endorsement of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and former Trump advisor–and Fox News regular–Sebastian Gorka, both of whom have come to Missouri to endorse his campaign.
Monetti’s campaign would seem quixotic to some, but this son of Italian immigrants has spent his life overcoming adversity. It remains to be seen whether he can upend Hawley. Monetti does not, however, deceive either himself or his supporters when he notes Republican unease about Hawley’s commitment to victory.