Independent U.S Senate candidate will appear on ballot in Missouri

Independent U.S. Senate candidate Craig O’Dear announced Monday that his name will appear on the November general election ballot, after the Missouri Secretary of State’s office certified that he turned in enough signatures to qualify.

The secretary of state certified just under 15,000 valid signatures, O’Dear said. Only 10,000 were required.

O’Dear has previously said he was encouraged to run by Greg Orman, a businessman mounting an independent bid for governor in Kansas. He will compete for votes this fall with incumbent U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, and Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican, in one of the most hotly contested Senate campaigns in the country.

Also appearing on the ballot are Libertarian Party candidate Japheth Campbell and Green Party candidate Jo Crain.

“There is no more certain way to waste your vote in this election than voting for one more party-line Republican or one more party-line Democrat,” O’Dear, a Kansas City attorney, said in a statement. “It’s not working for anyone except the party leaders and the career politicians.”

He’s never run for office before, but O’Dear has donated to candidates of both political parties over the years, including $3,200 to Republican Gov. Eric Greitens’ successful 2016 campaign.

According to disclosure paperwork filed with the Federal Elections Commission, O’Dear’s campaign has roughly $140,000 cash on hand.

McCaskill reported having $12 million cash on hand, while Hawely had around $3 million.

This story was originally published August 27, 2018 at 4:51 PM.