Over 100 Missouri farmers signed their names in support of an ad released Tuesday that targets Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) for policies they say harm Missouri agriculture and its workers.
The Missouri Republican Party launched the radio ad, titled, "Hogwash," highlighting how McCaskill "sells" farmers out for Washington, D.C. liberals and lobbyists.
"Our way of life is under attack by D.C. liberals and lobbyists, and McCaskill's been with them every step of the way," the ad narrator says. "She cozies up with environmental extremists who want to put Missouri farms out of business. She voted for WOTUS to give the government more control of our private land. And worse, McCaskill voted to raise the death tax."
"A vote for Claire McCaskill is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, and it's a vote against President Trump and Missouri farmers. Claire McCaskill is one of us? That's hogwash," the narrator continues.
The ad follows McCaskill saying in October that she didn't care about losing votes in Missouri's "bootheel," the rural southeastern tip of the state. "If we do our job in St. Louis County, you know, I can give up a few votes in the bootheel," McCaskill said.
The 107 Missouri farmers who signed in support of the ad include Blake Hurst, the president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, and Neal Bredehoeft, the former president of the American Soybean Association.
Brian Munzlinger, a state senator from northeastern Missouri and current chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Natural Resources Committee, said it is important agriculture leaders shed light on differences in candidates running for the U.S. Senate.
"It is important that leaders of agriculture point out the stark differences between the candidates for United States Senate," Munzlinger said. "Claire pretends to support Missouri farmers, but she repeatedly voted in support of the disastrous Waters of the United States rule pushed by Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."
McCaskill's GOP challenger, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, joined with 24 other state attorneys general to call upon the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to completely eliminate the Waters of the United States rule.
Missouri State Rep. Don Rone (R.) said McCaskill hasn't kept her promises to Missourians.
"I want to remind Missourians that McCaskill voted multiple times to keep the Death Tax in place, despite promising to exempt family farmers during her last campaign. After 36 years in politics, it’s time to retire Claire McCaskill," Rone said.
Mike Deering, the executive vice president at Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, slammed McCaskill and Democrats for using Humane Society surrogates who fought against pro-farmer bills.
"Claire McCaskill is touting endorsements from Joe Maxwell and Wes Shoemyer, both animal rights extremists who led the Humane Society of the United States’s effort to block Missourians’ Right to Farm in 2014," Deering said. "Hawley is standing up for Missouri’s farmers and consumers, leading a lawsuit that targets job-killing regulations."
Back in August, the Missouri Farm Bureau slammed McCaskill and endorsed Hawley.
"You heard from both candidates, one thing that probably wasn't mentioned that should have been is the working relationship we have with our current senator, and it is not good," Hurst said after awarding Hawley the endorsement. "We need a person we can talk to in office, we need a person who will return our phone calls."