On Political Intimidation

When the gun nuts run for office...

Let’s talk about a kind of boring state position…the Secretary of State.

Yawn, right?

Wrong. The race for this position should be as interesting as it sounds…a calm race to fill an important position. But it’s not. Not in Missouri and not in other GOP-dominated states.

What are the duties of a Secretary of State, and why should we pay attention?

The Secretary of State is the chief elections official in Missouri, bearing responsibility for the administration of statewide elections involving both issues and individuals, and oversees local verification of petition signatures for initiative petitions. The Secretary of State’s Commissions section authenticates official acts of the governor, and has the authority to appoint and commission notaries public.

That’s a very important position. It seems like the person in charge of the elections for the entire state should be serious and not bend toward extremism.

Let me introduce you to a few candidates for Missouri Secretary of State, but let me first remind you of Missouri politics and gun culture. From the Kansas City Star:

“Even when gun policy isn’t mentioned explicitly, the presence of firearms in political messaging has come to act as a kind of visual shorthand that can quickly signal pro-gun attitudes without a word.”

First up, Adam J. Schwadron of St. Charles. Here is his recent mailer to Missouri voters:

Adam Schwadron, Missouri Secretary of State candidate. Photo, political mailer.

Adam looks as if he has a lot of big feelings as evidenced in the stickers and paint on his AR, but the point of the matter? Why did he send this mailer out to Missouri voters? What message is he creating by holding an AR while seeking the position of Secretary of State? What is an AR meant to convey about voting systems and fair elections and constituent petitions?

What would it feel like as a constituent to deliver a petition to a man you know feels comfortable enough to take and send pictures shooting an AR?

Adam looks absolutely menacing holding the AR. I can’t help but feel that this is meant to convey intimidation. It can be scary to receive a mailer from a current Missouri lawmaker, running for higher office, pointing a high-powered gun at an unknown target. I’m not sure why his campaign thought this imagery appropriate?

Yes, I do…because others are doing it.

Meet Senator Denny Hoskins, who is also running for Missouri Secretary of State as a Republican. Denny has a long history of gun fanaticism.

From April 2024:

The Missouri Senate is considering an anti-red flag law proposal. The bill would prevent guns from being taken away from anyone because of a court order or protection order. Senator Denny Hoskins introduced the bill and called it the Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act.

Denny has opposed efforts to reduce gun violence through legislation like red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to temporarily take the weapons of people who a court has decided are at risk of harming themselves or others. It’s no surprise that he would included guns in his campaign for the Secretary of State, but it is no less grotesque.

Senator Denny Hoskins is not in the photo above, but he was more than happy to post the picture on his Facebook feed. The woman standing next to Hoskins’s sign is holding a rifle with a silencer and scope.

A few days later, on July 15, just two days after the shooting at the Pennsylvania Trump rally, Sen Denny Hoskins posted the photo below. In the photo, Denny is holding an AR. The Pennsylvania shooter used an AR to kill one person and wound others, including the former President.

Denny Hoskins, Missouri Secretary of State candidate. Photo: Screenshot, Facebook

I thought the Republicans were calling for the temperature to be turned down after the rally tragedy?

I have saved the best for last…well, the worst. The very worst. Meet Valentina Gomez. In a statement, Gomez said she would deploy the National Guard to oversee Missouri voting.

Valentina Gomez, Missouri Secretary of State candidate. Photo: Screenshot X

Gomez has filed for the SOS position, but I don’t think she has any plans to actually try to win the position. I haven’t quite been able to figure out what she’s up to, but she is using hyperbole and extremism along with assault-style guns to make her points. She seems unhinged in most of her statements…many of these statements also have nothing to do with the office she is running for. She loves rage-baiting.

She has used a homemade flamethrower to burn books stating, “When I’m Secretary of State, I will burn all the books that are grooming, indoctrinating, and sexualizing our children. MAGA. America First.”

Gomez also uploaded a strange video in which she is running through the suburbs with a vest with a flag decal that gives the impression that she is current military or a veteran — she is neither. She states, “In America, you can be anything you want,” and continues with, “So don’t be weak and gay,” “Stay f-cking hard.”

The video has since been removed, but another is still up on Twitter. It was posted just hours before the July 13 Trump rally shooting. You can find it here. In the video, Gomez references JK Rowling and offers to take her to a shooting range before firing off several rounds at an unknown target.

But why? Why would three separate candidates for Missouri Secretary of State send out such violent messages to the voters in my state?

Fearmongering. To stir up hate and discontent. To represent authoritarianism. To showcase an illiberal democracy.

These candidates are following the gun lobby’s playbook — they are leveraging the demagogue’s playbook. They are attempting to manipulate voters, or in the very least, intimidate voters.

We can counter this gun extremism by not voting for the folks who push it on us. We can stand against gun violence and demand better gun legislation. We can elect lawmakers who will pass common sense gun laws that will protect constituents.

A little of that common sense would go pretty far in Missouri. Especially in the race for Secretary of State.

Gun nuts need not apply.

~Jess