Lies, damn lies and endorsements
The Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Missouri got a little silly this week, for lack of a better word.
Rep. Billy Long, while fishing, was sending texts and tweets calling Sen. Josh Hawley and Rep. Vicky Hartzler liars (“I knew you could offer Vicky $50 to lie or $100 to tell the truth and she’d rather take the $50 every time but I didn’t know Josh does the same” was one). Mark McCloskey got in on the fun and called the Star unprompted to add that he, too, thought Hawley was a liar.
Hawley fielded questions from reporters in the Capitol basement, saying he thought Long was just disappointed he didn’t get the endorsement. Hartzler’s campaign manager said Long appeared to be in “an emotional state.”
So lets take a moment to hose off all the mud flying around and understand why it’s being flung.
There is a crowded field of candidates in the Republican primary to replace U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, who is retiring at the end of the year. The list includes former Gov. Eric Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Representatives Long and Hartzler, Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz and McCloskey, an attorney in St. Louis.
For the past few months, Hawley has been teasing that he would endorse in the primary. His support is significant for a few reasons. It provides access to his national fundraising network, it lends his popularity among Republicans in Missouri and it improves the chances of bagging the big prize: an endorsement from Trump.
Hawley was never going to support Greitens — he called on him to resign from office after the former governor faced allegations of sexually abusing a woman and blackmailing her.
Other candidates had a better shot. Schmitt was Hawley’s successor as Attorney General and received donations from venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who has also backed Hawley. Hartzler hired Hawley’s campaign consultants. Long said he sought an endorsement, as well.
On Saturday, Hawley made his choice official. At GOP Lincoln Days he announced he was backing Hartzler. Within an hour, his campaign — which brought in $8.3 million last year — had sent out a fundraising email on her behalf. A few days later she launched a statewide television ad (targeting a transgender collegiate swimmer) and won the backing of a Super PAC run by the former political strategist of the National Rifle Association. Hawley said he let Trump know he liked Hartzler and talked with him about the race.
It was momentum for a campaign that had been raising money at a steady clip, but drawing relatively little attention from national media.
Not everyone was celebrating, though. Shortly after the endorsement, Long pushed back. First he criticized Hartzler’s voting record by comparing it to Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney (who lost her post in Republican leadership over her criticism of Trump). Then he went on a bit of a press tour to bash Hawley.
Long’s dyspeptic reaction may reflect his belief that Hawley’s endorsement means Republicans in Washington, D.C. have chosen their candidate (Hartzler) and they want to clear the field so Greitens can’t win. That’s because they’re worried someone accused of taping his mistress to pull-up rings, taking photos of her and forcing her to perform oral sex on him can’t win a general election.
To make his case, Long brought up a conversation he had with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell is not well-liked by large swaths of the Republican base, in part because he’s not well-liked by Trump, who calls him “Old Crow.” (McConnell is now fundrasing with autographed bottles of Old Crow bourbon).
McConnell has made it clear he does not support Greitens. But, given the senator’s current standing among the Republican base, it is unlikely that he will actively get behind a candidate in the primary because his endorsement could end up backfiring.
Greitens campaign manager, Dylan Johnson, said concerns Greitens can’t win a general election are “false narratives peddled by DC swamp creatures.”
If there is a grand strategy to clear the field it doesn’t appear to be working yet. Long is adamant that he will remain in the race (he told KCMO host Pete Mundo he should bet all the money he has that Long’s name will be on the ballot). McCloskey also says he’s 100 percent in. The candidate who appears to be polling best next to Greitens — Schmitt — on Wednesday got the endorsement of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who shares the same consultant.
There is one thing that might clear the field though — a Trump endorsement. The question is whether Hawley gave Hartzler a leg up in landing it.
More from Missouri:
The Missouri legislature returned to the Capitol after the conservative caucus filibustered the congressional maps thinking they would be able to get some work done. They sank right back into gridlock. There was minor progress Wednesday, but they still haven’t come to an agreement on a map. Candidate filing opens up next week.
Here are headlines from across the state:
Missouri legislature slams straight into gridlock, Jeanne Kuang
- The Missouri health director drafted a letter to senators but never sent it before his ouster, Derek Kravitz, Rudi Keller and Tessa Weinberg, Missouri Independent
- The Biden administration is suing to overturn a MO act that calls federal gun laws invalid, Jeanne Kuang
A GOP lawmaker lost his committee spots after wearing overalls in the senate chamber, Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent
- Fights over masks, sex, CRT in KC area schools follow a national strategy, Eric Adler, Daniel Desrochers and Jeanne Kuang
And across Kansas:
Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is still the general counsel for We Build the Wall, a non-profit that raised money to build strips of the wall on the southern border. Their accounts were frozen after federal prosecutors alleged the organization created sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up crimes. Kobach says $75,000 of the frozen money is rightfully his.
- Kris Kobach is still working for a scandal-tainted border wall group, Jonathan Shorman
- Kansas residents sue over gerrymandered map, Jonathan Shorman and Katie Bernard
- KU students are demanding changes after grad student raised Title IX complaints, Anna Spoerre
Johnson County to end school mask mandates, Zach Murdock
- Kansas lawmaker reversed his decision to bar testimony from scientist, Lucy Peterson
The latest from Kansas City:
In Kansas City....
Yesterday’s storm dumped more than 9 inches of snow on Kansas City, Robert A. Cronkleton
- The St. Patrick’s Day parade is coming back after a two-year hiatus, Joseph Hernandez
- COVID-19 hospitalizations are dropping steadily in Kansas City, Natalie Wallington
Have a news tip? Send it along to ddesrochers@mcclatchydc.com.
Odds and ends
Doc’s note
On Sunday, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said he’d been talking with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan about proposing a bill that would require President Joe Biden to undergo an annual cognitive test. Paul on Tuesday said he had “no information” about any such bill. When asked whether he had actually talked to Paul about the legislation, Marshall referred me to his office.
Hawley and Ukraine
Last week Hawley blocked the nomination of Celeste Wallander, an expert on Russia, to serve as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. It was part of Hawley’s larger effort to slow down nominations because he wants “accountability” from the Biden administration over the withdrawal from Afghanistan. New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Sheehan said Hawley was “grandstanding” because a defense bill in December authorized a committee to investigate the withdrawal. Hawley’s objection delayed the nomination, but ultimately Wallander was confirmed on Wednesday.
Deja Vu
The Senate and House came to an agreement on a short-term (three weeks) funding bill to avert a shutdown. But, like in November, Marshall was among a group of conservative senators who demanded a vote on an amendment that would defund vaccine mandates. Last time the vote failed. Between then and now, the Biden administration withdrew their rule forcing private businesses with more than 100 employees to require their employees get vaccinated. This time the vote failed too.
Happy Friday
Here’s a long read about Peter Thiel exerting his influence in Republican primaries this year. I benched myself after recommending a beer cocktail, so this weekend Jonathan Shorman suggests a Boulevardier. (He says it’s a muscular, boozy drink, perfect for a cold winter weekend. This former Kentuckian will always support bourbon drinks.) Here’s a song by the Pet Shop Boys for the road.
Enjoy your weekend.
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This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 7:13 PM.