Josh Hawley, a Republican candidate for Senate in Missouri, released an ad on Thursday mocking Sen. Claire McCaskill’s (D., Mo.) use of a private plane while on a supposed RV tour of the state.
The ad mostly consists of news clips highlighting McCaskill’s plane use. It concludes with bold letters declaring "‘Air’ Claire McCaskill" to be "Out of touch" and "Hiding the truth."
"Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill confesses to misleading voters," Fox News reported.
"McCaskill's use of a private plane has been a political issue for her in the past," CNN noted.
The Washington Free Beacon reported on Tuesday that McCaskill’s private plane followed the same route her campaign’s RV traveled during a three-day tour of the state. The Beacon acknowledged it "was unable to determine whether McCaskill traveled on the plane." Soon after the report was published, however, McCaskill told Politico she had traveled via air, having "added some stops with the use of the plane."
President Donald Trump jumped on the reports about McCaskill’s plane, tweeting the following on Tuesday:
"Senator Claire McCaskill of the GREAT State of Missouri flew around in a luxurious private jet during her RV tour of the state. RV’s are not for her. People are really upset, so phony! Josh Hawley should win big, and has my full endorsement."
McCaskill faces a tough reelection campaign in a state that Trump won handily in 2016, earning over 56 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton’s 38 percent. A Morning Consult poll from April found only 39 percent of Missourians approve of McCaskill. Recent polls show a tight race between McCaskill and Hawley, the state's attorney general who has not yet officially secured the GOP nomination. The Real Clear Politics rolling average shows McCaskill with less than a 2 percent lead.