The prosecutor who charged a now-infamous St. Louis couple for pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their mansion last month has won her primary election for a second term.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner — who President Trump accused of “extreme abuse of power” — triumphed over her challenger in the Democratic primary on Tuesday evening by a 61-39 margin.
Gardner said her victory was “about people who sent a message that they want reform in the city of St. Louis.”
The prosecutor shot to nationwide attention last month when she slapped St. Louis couple Mark and Patricia McCloskey with a charge for felony unlawful use of a weapon after they brandished a handgun and AK-47 at civil rights demonstrators as they moved through their swanky neighborhood.
The personal injury attorneys maintained that they were defending themselves and the case caught the attention of President Trump after video of the incident went viral.
Trump accused Gardner of “an extreme abuse of power” and Missouri’s attorney general threatened to dismiss the charges.
Despite the negative publicity, the first-term prosecutor easily dispatched with her primary opponent and is expected to win at November’s general given St. Louis’ mostly-democratic voting block.