Senator Hawley endorses MP moments before Senate candidates’ forum
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has announced who he approves of to fill Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat, after he retires later this year.
Four of the six US Senate candidates were given 90 minutes on Saturday to tell a roomful of supporters why vote for them, but the biggest news of the day actually came ahead of the forum as Hawley endorsed Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler.
“I’m so thrilled, I’m so grateful, he’s such a champion of our conservative values in Washington and has been such a powerful voice in what Missouri believes in,” Hartzler said in an exclusive interview Saturday.
At a statewide rally of Republican leaders and activists, candidates hoping to fill Blunt’s seat took the stage during Lincoln Days at the St. Charles Convention Center.
“The first thing we need to do is secure the border,” Attorney General Eric Schmitt said.
“We need to get spending under control,” Congressman Billy Long said.
Moments before the forum, Hawley, standing next to Hartzler, announced his support.
“People trust Josh, they respect him as a true conservative who is at the forefront of fighting and for him to recognize that I’m like that too,” Hartzler said.
In a press release, Hawley said Hartzler “is not afraid to stand up for conservative values, and she’s exactly what Missouri needs in the U.S. Senate.”
Although the endorsement was not mentioned in the forum, other candidates told reporters they weren’t surprised.
“I knew this would happen every day that Vicky hired Josh’s team to represent her,” Long said. “I called Josh and said I thought you could come in with Vicky.”
“Josh Hawley’s endorsement for Hartzler is exactly what one would expect from someone who is in high political office who will endorse someone else who has been a member of Congress for five years,” said Mark McCloskey, lawyer and candidate for the United States Senate.
When asked, McCloskey said he didn’t ask for Hawley’s approval.
“I didn’t ask him and he didn’t offer it to me, so read your own interpretation,” McCloskey said.
Former Governor Eric Greitens and Senate Speaker Dave Schatz were also invited but did not attend the forum. The Missouri Senate held a rare session Saturday as the chamber continues to work to find a solution on how to redraw the congressional map of the state.
All four candidates at the forum said they supported a 7 Republican – 1 Democrat map, but Hartzler was hesitant to endorse such a map.
“We have to try to get as conservative a map as possible, and if it’s possible to get 7-1 without compromising it in a Democratic election year, we should go for it,” Hartzler said. “If it’s going to jeopardize it, maybe we should think about it.”
Besides redistricting, other topics discussed were abortion issues, electoral reform, public safety and the southern border.
“We need to support the Blues, support the police, defund the police, not defund the police and criminalize crime,” Long said.
Schmitt said this race is the “fight to save America.”
“As attorney general, I’ve taken Joe Biden to the Supreme Court twice and I’ve won before, and we’re going to keep it that way,” Schmitt said.
He also mentioned his lawsuits against school districts and the Biden administration over masks and vaccination mandates. Schmitt also mentioned that if elected, he would like to serve on the Judiciary Committee, to block the “woke justices and justices that President Biden has in the works.”
During the forum, Hartzler also brought up education, saying, “We should be teaching ABCs, not CRTs. [critical race theory].”
Long told reporters he plans to back the winner of the primary no matter which Republican wins, but he wants Saturday to be more of a debate than a forum.
“It’s a different format where you can’t really talk, so everyone kind of gave their talking points,” Long said.
In her interview, Hartzler mentioned she had more endorsements, but couldn’t elaborate. She also plans to travel the state with Hawley during her campaign.
