Hawley defeats McCaskill in tight Missouri Senate race
Jordain Carney 20 hrs ago
© Getty Images Hawley defeats McCaskill in tight Missouri Senate race Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley won the closely watched Senate race in Missouri on Tuesday night, handing Republicans a significant victory as they look to expand their majority.
Hawley defeated Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who was viewed as one of the most vulnerable incumbents up for reelection after President Trump won her state in 2016 by roughly 18 points.
The successful flip of the Missouri seat from Democratic control is a boon for Republicans, who viewed the state, as well as Indiana and North Dakota, as their best shots of picking off Democratic incumbents and building on their narrow 51-49 Senate majority.
Slide 1 of 48: Voters casts ballots in Manchester, NH, on Nov. 6, 2018.
1/48 SLIDES © KATHERINE TAYLOR/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the pivotal 2018 midterm elections.
(Pictured) Voters cast their ballots in Manchester, N.H., on Nov. 6, 2018.
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Defeating McCaskill has also been a years-long goal for the GOP.
They thought they would be able to unseat her in 2012, but then-Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) imploded shortly after winning the Republican primary when he said that women's bodies are able to prevent pregnancy from "legitimate rape."
The fight between McCaskill and Hawley remained locked into a toss-up heading into Tuesday's voting, with several polls over the last month flipping between who was leading or showing the race in a tie.
McCaskill tried to distance herself from the national party in the waning days of the 2018 midterm election. She said last week that she wasn't one of those "crazy Democrats." And as Trump hammered Democrats on immigration, McCaskill also said she "100 percent" supports Trump from preventing a migrant caravan from entering the country.
But Republicans were able to seize on the state's rightward shift to defeat McCaskill, including trying her to the national Democratic party.
Hawley, speaking to supporters on Monday, said the Democratic senator was "just like Hillary [Clinton]." And Trump, making an 11th-hour campaign stop through the state, urged his supporter to "call Claire McCaskill 'fired' " on Nov. 6th.
Poster Comment:
Hawley is not a RINO.