Josh Hawley Tops Democrat Claire McCaskill In Missouri

Republican Josh Hawley knocked off Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill on Tuesday night, denying her a third term and solidifying the Republican Party’s hold on the Show-Me State.

McCaskill, one of the two Democrats holding statewide office in Missouri, emphasized her independence, promising to occasionally work with President Donald Trump and swearing in a recent radio ad that she “wasn’t one of those crazy Democrats.” But that wasn’t enough to top Hawley, the state’s 38-year-old attorney general and one of the most touted Republican recruits of the cycle.

Republican Josh Hawley defeated Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri. (Photo: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Republican Josh Hawley defeated Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri. (Photo: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Trump endorsed Hawley early and repeatedly traveled to Missouri to campaign for him. He ended Monday, just before election night, with a massive rally in Cape Girardeau.

While McCaskill outraised Hawley by a massive margin ― $35 million to Hawley’s $10 million, per Federal Election Commission reports ― outside Republican groups hammered her with attacks labeling her as corrupt and out of touch. McCaskill countered with a relentless focus on health care, hitting Hawley for supporting a lawsuit that would dash Obamacare’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.