COLUMBIA, Mo. — President Trump went to Sen. Claire McCaskill’s backyard Thursday night and called her a “far-left” Democrat who tries to sound conservative but keeps voting against him, in a bid to help Republican challenger Josh Hawley win her seat.
“The people of Missouri are going to retire far-left Democrat Claire McCaskill, who’s been saying such nice things about me. But you know what? She’ll never vote with me, that’s problem,” Trump said of McCaskill, a moderate Democrat who has been elected twice in GOP-leaning Missouri.
“She’s been saying nice things. I said, ‘I didn’t know she was a Republican,'” he joked.
McCaskill and Hawley are neck-in-neck in one of the most competitive contests of the 2018 election cycle. The race represents a perfect opportunity for Republicans to pick up a seat in the Senate and shore up their slim majority.
Hawley, Missouri’s attorney general, on Thursday seemed to revel in sharing the stage with Trump, who seems to have inspired his own rhetoric.
[Related: NAACP office scrambles for black votes to help Claire McCaskill]
“President Trump is delivering for Missouri,” Hawley said. “Now, the only thing is I noticed that some of those career politicians in Washington, D.C., haven’t noticed and haven’t gotten with the program. Like, for instance, Sen. Claire McCaskill.”
“When I look at Sen. McCaskill’s record, I have to say, Mr. President, it really reminds me of another career politician that you recently defeated,” Hawley added. “It reminds me of the person that Claire thinks should be president, Hillary Clinton.”
Thursday’s rally marks the first of two trips Trump will make to Missouri in the final week before Election Day next Tuesday, another indication of the significance of the state to the balance of power in Washington.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., told the audience Wednesday evening that the final homestretch of the campaign was the time “to make a big difference.”
“A majority leader of the Senate, or not, could very well be decided right here,” he said.
Despite being held in Boone County, which leans blue, the hanger at Columbia Regional Airport was full to capacity of 5,000 at least by 4 p.m. Missourians from around the state, and even some Kansas residents from across the border, drove hours and trudged through the rain to listen to Trump.
Bill Schroer of Centertown, Mo., donning Trump merchandise at his first political rally, said he came to hear the president tout his immigration policy and economic credentials.
“I’m looking forward to next week. I’m confident Hawley will win. It’s a movement,” he said. “It’s about good versus evil, not just Republicans versus Democrats.”
Christopher DeTar, of Columbia, Mo., said it was good for him, his wife, and his two young daughters to be among other Republicans because they feel like the only GOP supporters in their neighborhood. He too was here for Trump’s immigration talking points.
“It’s a pretty hot topic and his policies should really have been introduced 30 years ago,” he said.
Kathleen Pfaffe, of Chillicothe, Mo., said the 2018 elections were crucial because it now takes 60 votes in the Senate to govern effectively.
“We can absolutely not let our county descend into socialism. It would be ruinous,” she said.
Some, like Alex Sparrow of Lake of the Ozarks, came to enjoy the spectacle.
“I’m just here for the vibe and to take it all in,” he said.
Trump will be in Missouri again on Monday for his final campaign stop of the midterm elections: at Cape Girardeau’s 7,000-seat capacity Show Me Center. The president won Cape Girardeau County by more than 50 percentage points.
Vice President Mike Pence will be in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday.
