Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) arrived at a campaign event in Troy, Missouri this week where she was greeted by a ground crew courtesy of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).
A ground staff member, a man dressed as an airport wing walker complete with orange batons, ear protectors, and a safety vest, was there to help guide McCaskill into the event as her campaign's RV arrived and she excited the vehicle.
The ground crew's appearance came in the wake of a Washington Free Beacon report that found McCaskill's airplane – in addition to her "Big Blue" RV – was used on a tour of the state. The tour has been billed as a down-to-earth RV tour – one McCaskill said she was "excited to hit the road" for. A blog following the tour's events is titled, "Breaking in #BigBlue." It was not the first time McCaskill had come under fire for her use of a private plane, and critics have, as a result, come to refer to the senator as "Air Claire."
NRSC Spokesman Bob Salera said it was good to see the senator was being "safely chauffeured" to campaign events.
"It's good to see that the Air Claire ground crew is making sure Senator McCaskill gets safely chauffeured from her plane to her campaign events so she can brag about her liberal record in Washington," Salera said. "Safety first!"
McCaskill is in a tight race for her seat this year against Republican Josh Hawley, who is Missouri's attorney general. President Donald Trump won Missouri during the 2016 presidential election and McCaskill's seat is seen as one of Democrats' most vulnerable.