Missouri Senate Hopefuls Split Over Experience and Outsider Appeal at GOP Forum

Four Republicans competing for an open U.S. Senate seat in Missouri framed their primary contest as a choice between legislative experience and an outsider's energy during a candidate forum on Saturday in St. Charles.

Attorney Mark McCloskey, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, and U.S. Reps. Billy Long and Vicky Hartzler each addressed a packed ballroom at the Missouri Republican Party's annual Lincoln Days event. Former Gov. Eric Greitens was invited to the forum but did not attend.

The candidates worked to set their records apart from one another, returning to a theme that has shaped GOP politics in recent years: how much time a candidate has spent in Washington, and whether that is a strength or a liability.

Hartzler, of Harrisonville, received a formal endorsement from Sen. Josh Hawley shortly before the forum started. She pointed to her 12 years in Congress, saying she had sponsored bills to defend the border, helped rebuild the national defense and helped pass rural broadband legislation. She also stressed her loyalty to former President Donald Trump. "I stood with President Trump and voted with him 95% of the time, more than anyone else in the house," she said.

Long, of Springfield, conceded he had not voted with Trump as frequently but underscored the former president's importance to the party's agenda. He argued that returning manufacturing to the United States depends on electing Trump and continuing his tough policies toward China. Long also urged Republicans to pick a nominee capable of winning both the primary and the general election after Blunt retires. He warned against spending "$40-$50 million" on a candidate who might still fall short. After the forum, he clarified that the remark was aimed at Greitens.

McCloskey rejected the idea that electing Republicans is enough. "You've got to have people that are willing to go out there and genuinely make change, to take a stand, no matter what it costs them," he said. He cited the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans failed to repeal even while holding the presidency and majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Schmitt made a comparable case, casting his status as a non-member of Congress as more valuable than Capitol Hill experience. He called for term limits, arguing that people go to Washington intending to change it and then become part of the establishment. He also pointed to his legal challenges on divisive issues, including school mask mandates. "I'm not talking about holding hearings. I'm talking about taking Biden to court," he said.

That approach appeals to some attendees. David Osborn, of Neosho, said Schmitt "has stood up, he's fought for Missouri and is continuing to fight." Eddie Brown, who traveled from Jefferson City, called the attorney general a leading candidate because of his ability to argue directly against the Biden administration's ideas.

Brown said he remained open to the other candidates if they could clearly explain how they would help everyday Missourians, citing inflation as a pressing concern. After the forum, he said he was impressed by Hartzler's remarks, but they were not enough to move his support away from Schmitt.