Will McCaskill bring Obama to Missouri? 'I would never turn down a previous president'

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill said it's too early to say if President Barack Obama will campaign for her in Missouri this year, but she’d welcome his presence.

Obama will hold a fundraiser on behalf of McCaskill’s campaign in Beverly Hills in May.

“He offered and this works for his schedule. And I think whenever a former president offers to help you, it’s important to say yes,” McCaskill told reporters in Kansas City Wednesday.

McCaskill, a Democrat who is running for re-election in a state that went for President Donald Trump by double digits, said she welcome a campaign stop in Missouri if Obama decides to take a more active role in the campaign as Democrats try to recapture the U.S. Senate.

“I don’t know how much he’s going to be campaigning. I don’t know if he’s going to agree to campaign for anyone at this point,” McCaskill said. “I think it would be terrific if he worked and campaigned around the country for a variety of candidates. … If he wants to come here and campaign, I would never turn down a previous president.”

The news of Obama’s fundraiser, which was first reported by Politico, has prompted a flurry of attacks by McCaskill’s likely GOP opponent, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.

“You can't make this up — Barack Obama is hosting a fundraiser for his former rubber stamp senator, Claire McCaskill, in none other than Beverly Hills, California. He is raising her so much money, that we cannot stop until we match it,” Hawley’s campaign said in a fundraising email Tuesday.

“Will you help me stand up to the Hollywood elites? They failed to get Hillary Clinton elected, and Obama knows that having Claire in D.C. is the next best thing for him,” the email said.

McCaskill shrugged off the attacks from Hawley, who held a fundraiser in St. Louis with Trump earlier this month.

“My average contribution in this campaign is 64 bucks… As soon as Josh Hawley gets an average contribution under $1,500, I think he can lecture me about rich people funding my campaign.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Will McCaskill bring Obama to Missouri? 'I would never turn down a previous president'."