Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) claimed in an interview airing Sunday to not care about the national Democratic Party message as she seeks re-election in a state President Donald Trump won handily in 2016.
Asked by MSNBC's Kasie Hunt whether the national Democrats understood the pain felt by Missourians, McCaskill was dismissive.
"I don't know. I don't care. I could care less what the national party thinks or what they're doing," McCaskill said. "Nothing is an easier question for me to answer than, 'Aren't you worried about the national Democratic Party message?' No, I'm not. I don't care what the national Democratic Party message is."
Hunt chuckled at McCaskill's tone, as she reeled off a list of issues facing Missouri citizens like drug prices and expanding broadband.
"The national stuff? Eh. I don't care," she said.
Hunt brought up liberal darling Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), who railed against the 17 Democrats who joined Republicans this month in backing a loosening of the Dodd-Frank banking reform legislation. McCaskill was one of several red-state Democrats facing re-election in 2018 who supported the measure because it would help community banks compete with larger ones.
"Some of the criticism was just flat wrong, and some of it was unfair," McCaskill said. "But you're talking to somebody who's not afraid to say I'm a moderate. I proudly claim that. I think we need more moderates around here, because it's the moderates who get things done."
McCaskill said she was comfortable in her vote not helping to cause another economic crisis.
"I would disagree with Elizabeth Warren, but I'm used to both sides of the equation hollering at me," she said.