Election Name: | 2018 United States Senate election in Missouri |
Country: | Missouri |
Type: | presidential |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 2012 United States Senate election in Missouri |
Previous Year: | 2012 |
Next Election: | 2024 United States Senate election in Missouri |
Next Year: | 2024 |
Election Date: | November 6, 2018 |
Turnout: | 58.2% |
Image1: | File:Josh Hawley, official portrait, 116th congress (cropped).jpg |
Nominee1: | Josh Hawley |
Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
Popular Vote1: | 1,254,927 |
Percentage1: | 51.4% |
Nominee2: | Claire McCaskill |
Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
Popular Vote2: | 1,112,935 |
Percentage2: | 45.6% |
Map Size: | 275px |
U.S. Senator | |
Before Election: | Claire McCaskill |
Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
After Election: | Josh Hawley |
After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 2018 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Missouri, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections, including Missouri's quadrennial State Auditor election.
This was one of ten Democratic-held Senate seats up for election in a state Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill ran for re-election to a third term. McCaskill easily won her party's nomination, defeating several minor candidates in the primary, while Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley comfortably won the Republican primary.[1]
The candidate filing deadline was March 27, 2018, and the primary election was held on August 7, 2018.[2] Pollsters predicted a tight race, however Hawley defeated McCaskill on election day by 5.8%, taking 51.4% of the vote to McCaskill's 45.6%, a somewhat larger margin than expected. This resulted in Republicans holding both Senate seats in Missouri for the first time since McCaskill took office in 2007. Hawley was also the youngest incumbent senator at that time and continued to be until the inauguration of Jon Ossoff in 2021.[3]
Date | Link(s) | Participants | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Josh Hawley | Austin Petersen | Courtland Sykes | Tony Monetti | Peter Pfeifer | Kirsti Nichols | ||||
America First Missouri | May 11, 2018 | [27] | Absent | Present | Present | Present | Present | Present |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Josh Hawley | David Steelman | Ann Wagner | David Wasinger | Undecided | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Remington Research Group[29] | align=center rowspan=2 | April 28–29, 2017 | align=center rowspan=2 | 915 | align=center rowspan=2 | ± 3.1% | align=center | 30% | 7% | 14% | 2% | align=center | 47% |
align=center | 37% | – | 16% | – | align=center | 47% |
Source | Ranking | As of | |
---|---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[35] | October 26, 2018 | ||
Inside Elections[36] | November 1, 2018 | ||
Sabato's Crystal Ball[37] | November 5, 2018 | ||
CNN[38] | November 5, 2018 | ||
RealClearPolitics[39] | November 5, 2018 | ||
Daily Kos[40] | November 5, 2018 | ||
Fox News[41] | November 5, 2018 | ||
FiveThirtyEight[42] | November 5, 2018 |
Campaign finance reports as of October 17, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand | |
Claire McCaskill (D) | $35,361,401 | $33,594,412 | $1,789,381 | |
Josh Hawley (R) | $10,221,143 | $7,376,209 | $2,844,933 | |
Source: Federal Election Commission[43] |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Claire McCaskill (D) | Josh Hawley (R) | Japheth Campbell (L) | Craig O'Dear (I) | Jo Crain (G) | Other | Undecided | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HarrisX[44] | November 3–5, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | align=center | 46% | – | – | – | – | – | |
HarrisX[45] | November 2–4, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 44% | align=center | 47% | – | – | – | – | – | |
Trafalgar Group (R)[46] | October 29 – November 4, 2018 | 1,791 | ± 2.3% | 44% | align=center | 48% | – | – | – | 4% | 3% | |
Emerson College[47] | November 1–3, 2018 | 732 | ± 3.8% | 46% | align=center | 49% | – | – | – | 3% | 3% | |
HarrisX[48] | November 1–3, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 46% | – | – | – | – | – | ||
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[49] | November 1–2, 2018 | 1,424 | ± 2.6% | 47% | 47% | 1% | 1% | 1% | – | 3% | ||
HarrisX[50] | October 31 – November 2, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | align=center | 46% | – | – | – | – | – | |
NBC News/Marist[51] | October 30 – November 1, 2018 | 600 LV | ± 5.2% | align=center | 47% | 44% | 3% | – | 2% | <1% | 4% | |
align=center | 50% | 47% | – | – | – | <1% | 3% | |||||
920 RV | ± 4.1% | align=center | 46% | 43% | 3% | – | 2% | 1% | 6% | |||
align=center | 50% | 46% | – | – | – | 1% | 4% | |||||
HarrisX[52] | October 30 – November 1, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | align=center | 46% | 43% | – | – | – | – | – | |
HarrisX[53] | October 29–31, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | align=center | 45% | 43% | – | – | – | – | – | |
HarrisX[54] | October 24–30, 2018 | 1,400 | ± 2.6% | align=center | 46% | 44% | – | – | – | – | – | |
Fox News[55] | October 27–30, 2018 | 741 LV | ± 3.5% | 43% | 43% | 0% | 3% | 1% | 0% | 9% | ||
45% | 45% | – | – | – | 2% | 8% | ||||||
851 RV | ± 3.0% | 41% | align=center | 42% | 1% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 10% | |||
43% | align=center | 44% | – | – | – | 3% | 9% | |||||
Cygnal (R)[56] | October 26–27, 2018 | 501 | ± 4.4% | 46% | align=center | 49% | – | – | – | 1% | 3% | |
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[57] | October 24–25, 2018 | 1,376 | ± 2.6% | 45% | align=center | 49% | 1% | 1% | 1% | – | 3% | |
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[58] | October 17–18, 2018 | 1,215 | ± 2.7% | 46% | align=center | 47% | 2% | 1% | 1% | – | 2% | |
OnMessage Inc. (R-Hawley)[59] | October 16–18, 2018 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 42% | align=center | 49% | – | – | – | 4% | 5% | |
The Polling Company (R-Citizens United)[60] | October 11–13, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 47% | align=center | 50% | – | – | – | 0% | 3% | |
Ipsos[61] | September 27 – October 7, 2018 | 1,111 | ± 3.0% | 44% | align=center | 45% | 1% | 2% | 0% | 2% | 6% | |
1st Tuesday Campaigns[62] | October 5–6, 2018 | 1,052 | ± 3.0% | 42% | align=center | 44% | 1% | 1% | 1% | – | 11% | |
Fox News[63] | September 29 – October 2, 2018 | 683 LV | ± 3.5% | 43% | 43% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 6% | ||
46% | 46% | – | – | – | 3% | 5% | ||||||
805 RV | ± 3.5% | 41% | 41% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 1% | 9% | ||||
44% | 44% | – | – | – | 3% | 8% | ||||||
McLaughlin (R-Missouri Rising Action)[64] | September 29 – October 2, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 44% | align=center | 52% | – | – | – | – | – | |
Vox Populi Polling[65] | September 29 – October 1, 2018 | 869 | ± 3.3% | 49% | align=center | 51% | – | – | – | – | – | |
CNN/SSRS[66] | September 25–29, 2018 | 756 LV | ± 4.3% | align=center | 47% | 44% | 3% | – | 1% | 0% | 4% | |
906 RV | ± 3.9% | align=center | 43% | 42% | 4% | – | 2% | 0% | 6% | |||
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[67] | September 26–27, 2018 | 1,555 | ± 2.5% | 46% | align=center | 48% | – | – | – | – | 6% | |
YouGov[68] | September 10–14, 2018 | 917 | – | 45% | 45% | – | – | – | 4% | 6% | ||
Trafalgar Group (R)[69] | September 11–13, 2018 | 1,724 | ± 2.4% | 44% | align=center | 47% | – | – | – | – | 8% | |
Fox News[70] | September 8–11, 2018 | 675 LV | ± 3.5% | align=center | 44% | 41% | 1% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 8% | |
45% | 45% | – | – | – | 3% | 7% | ||||||
808 RV | ± 3.5% | align=center | 41% | 39% | 1% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 11% | |||
42% | align=center | 43% | – | – | – | 3% | 10% | |||||
NBC News/Marist[71] | August 25–28, 2018 | 568 LV | ± 4.8% | align=center | 44% | 40% | 5% | – | 3% | <1% | 8% | |
47% | 47% | – | – | – | 1% | 5% | ||||||
774 RV | ± 4.2% | align=center | 43% | 39% | 6% | – | 3% | <1% | 8% | |||
46% | align=center | 47% | – | – | – | 1% | 5% | |||||
WPA Intelligence (R-Club For Growth)[72] | August 12–14, 2018 | 501 | ± 4.4% | 41% | align=center | 48% | – | – | – | 3% | 8% | |
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[73] | August 8–9, 2018 | 1,785 | ± 2.3% | 47% | 47% | – | – | – | – | 6% | ||
WPA Intelligence (R-Club For Growth) | July 10–12, 2018 | 602 | ± 4.0% | 42% | align=center | 43% | – | – | – | 4% | 11% | |
The Missouri Times/Remington (R)[74] | July 7–8, 2018 | 1,034 | ± 3.2% | 46% | align=center | 48% | – | – | – | – | 6% | |
SurveyMonkey/Axios[75] | June 11 – July 2, 2018 | 1,038 | ± 5.0% | align=center | 49% | 47% | – | – | – | – | 4% | |
McLaughlin (R-Missouri Rising Action) | June 2018 | – | – | align=center | 46% | 42% | – | – | – | – | – | |
Global Strategy Group (D-SMP)[76] | June 11–13, 2018 | 804 | ± 3.5% | align=center | 47% | 41% | – | – | – | – | – | |
Gravis Marketing (R-Petersen)[77] | May 16, 2018 | 822 | ± 3.4% | 43% | align=center | 50% | – | – | – | – | 7% | |
Missouri Scout/TJP Strategies (D)[78] | May 9–10, 2018 | 898 | ± 3.3% | align=center | 48% | 44% | – | – | – | – | 8% | |
Emerson College | April 26–29, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.2% | 45% | 45% | – | – | – | – | 11% | ||
Missouri Scout/TJP Strategies (D)[79] | April 19–20, 2018 | 1,542 | ± 2.5% | align=center | 48% | 44% | – | – | – | – | 8% | |
OnMessage Inc. (R-Hawley)[80] | April 16–18, 2018 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 46% | align=center | 47% | – | – | – | – | 7% | |
Global Strategy Group (D-SMP) | April 9–12, 2018 | – | – | align=center | 46% | 44% | – | – | – | – | – | |
Mason-Dixon[81] | April 4–6, 2018 | 625 | ± 4.0% | align=center | 45% | 44% | – | – | – | – | 11% | |
Gravis Marketing[82] | March 5–7, 2018 | 931 | ± 3.2% | align=center | 42% | 40% | – | – | – | – | 18% | |
SurveyMonkey/Axios[83] | February 12 – March 5, 2018 | 1,938 | ± 3.6% | 44% | align=center | 52% | – | – | – | – | 4% | |
Public Policy Polling (D-TMI)[84] | January 8–9, 2018 | 965 | ± 3.2% | align=center | 45% | 44% | – | – | – | – | 11% | |
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[85] | January 3–4, 2018 | 1,122 | ± 2.9% | 45% | align=center | 49% | – | – | – | – | 6% | |
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[86] | October 11–12, 2017 | 965 | ± 3.1% | 45% | align=center | 48% | – | – | – | – | 7% | |
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[87] | August 16–18, 2017 | 922 | ± 3.0% | 45% | align=center | 50% | – | – | – | – | 5% | |
Fabrizio Lee (R)[88] | July 10–11, 2017 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 42% | align=center | 46% | – | – | – | – | 12% | |
Missouri Scout/Remington (R)[89] | July 7–8, 2017 | 928 | ± 3.2% | 44% | align=center | 50% | – | – | – | – | 6% |
with Austin Petersen
with generic Republican
with Vicky Hartzler
with Blaine Luetkemeyer
with Todd Richardson
with Eric Schmitt
with Jason Smith
Sen. McCaskill conceded a few hours after the polls closed on Election Day. Despite performing strongly in the St. Louis suburbs, she ran well behind her 2012 vote in Southeast Missouri, especially in the Lead Belt and the Missouri Bootheel. She also ran poorly in the northern part of the state.[90]
Hawley won 5 of 8 congressional districts, with the remaining 3 going to McCaskill, including one that elected a Republican.[91]
District | McCaskill | Hawley | Representative | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
82% | 16% | Lacy Clay | |||
50% | 48% | Ann Wagner | |||
38% | 59% | Blaine Luetkemeyer | |||
36% | 60% | Vicky Hartzler | |||
61% | 36% | Emanuel Cleaver | |||
39% | 58% | Sam Graves | |||
31% | 65% | Billy Long | |||
28% | 69% | Jason Smith | |||
Hawley | % of Voters | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | |||||
Men | 42 | 57 | 49 | ||
Women | 51 | 47 | 51 | ||
Age | |||||
18–24 years old | 55 | 42 | 6 | ||
25–29 years old | 57 | 42 | 7 | ||
30–39 years old | 52 | 45 | 15 | ||
40–49 years old | 44 | 54 | 16 | ||
50–64 years old | 43 | 56 | 31 | ||
65 and older | 45 | 54 | 25 | ||
Race | |||||
White | 42 | 57 | 84 | ||
Black | 91 | 8 | 8 | ||
Latino | 53 | 44 | 4 | ||
Race by gender | |||||
White men | 37 | 62 | 41 | ||
White women | 46 | 52 | 43 | ||
Black men | 91 | 7 | 4 | ||
Black women | 90 | 9 | 5 | ||
Education | |||||
High school or less | 34 | 64 | 22 | ||
Some college education | 48 | 51 | 27 | ||
Associate degree | 46 | 53 | 14 | ||
Bachelor's degree | 51 | 48 | 22 | ||
Advanced degree | 58 | 41 | 15 | ||
Party ID | |||||
Democrats | 93 | 6 | 31 | ||
Republicans | 7 | 92 | 37 | ||
Independents | 46 | 51 | 32 | ||
Ideology | |||||
Liberals | 90 | 9 | 23 | ||
Moderates | 60 | 37 | 38 | ||
Conservatives | 8 | 91 | 39 | ||
Marital status | |||||
Married | 43 | 55 | 63 | ||
Unmarried | 57 | 41 | 37 | ||
Gender by marital status | |||||
Married men | 39 | 61 | 34 | ||
Married women | 49 | 49 | 28 | ||
Unmarried men | 47 | 50 | 11 | ||
Unmarried women | 64 | 33 | 21 | ||
First-time midterm election voter | |||||
Yes | 59 | 38 | 13 | ||
No | 44 | 56 | 87 | ||
Most important issue facing the country | |||||
Immigration | 13 | 86 | 20 | ||
Healthcare | 71 | 27 | 47 | ||
Gun policy | 52 | 47 | 8 | ||
Economy | 33 | 65 | 23 | ||
Area type | |||||
Urban | 67 | 32 | 35 | ||
Suburban | 42 | 57 | 37 | ||
Rural | 27 | 71 | 28 | ||
Source: CNN[92] |
Official campaign websites