U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is back on television with a 60-second campaign ad that, like her earlier one, ignores her potential Republican opponents.
The Missouri Democrat’s latest ad, which begins airing statewide today, focuses on the 50 town halls she’s held over the past year. In the ad, McCaskill also observes that she expects some of the town-hall attendees “have not and will not vote for me.”
McCaskill is considered one of the most endangered Democrats in the U.S. Senate. She also is among the most successful in raising money, and has opted to spend some of it on early TV ads.
The most recent campaign-finance reports showed McCaskill has five times as much money in the bank as her best-known Republican rival, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.
McCaskill’s first ad, which aired in April, focused on veterans. Longer, 60-second ads, are generally used to promote a candidate’s personality and try to humanize them.
Hawley has yet to run his own TV ads but, with the help of GOP groups, has been attacking McCaskill on a number of fronts for weeks. Their chief message, in news releases and interviews, has been to portray her as out of touch with average voters.
In response to the senator's new ad, Hawley spokeswoman Kelli Ford said, "Claire McCaskill might be flying all over the state in her private jet, but she hasn't listened to a single thing Missourians have said..."
On Monday, Hawley attacked her on Twitter for the senator’s earlier support for the Iran nuclear deal crafted several years ago. President Donald Trump opposes the deal.
Both Senate candidates also have been the targets, or beneficiaries, of TV and digital ads run by outside groups. Combined, those groups have spent far more so far than Hawley or McCaskill.
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