Hawley wins bitter Senate campaign

A bitter and expensive campaign to unseat incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill came to an end Tuesday night with a win for her Republican challenger.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley had 52 percent of the vote to McCaskill’s 45 percent with 3,085 of 3,256 precincts reporting. The Associated Press called the race for Hawley earlier in the night, and McCaskill gave a concession speech to supporters at her St. Louis watch party.

The Republican candidate garnered support from high-profile political players including President Donald Trump, the National Right to Life Committee, the American Conservative Union and others. Media personalities including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity appeared at a Trump rally in Cape Girardeau to support Hawley on the eve of the election.

Hawley’s Senate run had come under fire from opponents after his 2016 campaign for Missouri attorney general, which centered around an implied promise not to use the position to seek a higher office.

Many of the latest polls showed Hawley in a dead heat with McCaskill.