MISSOURI
Incumbent: Democrat Claire McCaskill Inside Elections rating: Tossup 2016 presidential election results: Trump: 57%, Clinton: 38%
Trump took aim at McCaskill last month, urging a conservative crowd in Springfield to vote McCaskill out if she didn’t support the GOP’s tax cut plan. McCaskill didn’t jab back, a sign that she’s treading carefully when it comes to Trump. McCaskill portrays herself as a no-nonsense moderate willing to buck her party on tough issues, such as environmental regulations.
McCaskill spent nearly all of August holding town halls in rural, GOP-leaning parts of the state, defending her support for the Affordable Care Act and touting her willingness to fix its flaws. Her travel schedule reflects the reality that Missouri has become an increasingly conservative state, where Republicans swept every statewide office in 2016.
Republicans bank on Missouri’s attorney general, Josh Hawley, to unseat McCaskill.
A rising GOP star, Hawley has tiptoed into the race amid pressure from GOP heavyweights, including Vice President Pence. A handful of other Republicans are weighing a bid, setting up a potentially crowded primary.