Hawley endorses candidate to succeed fellow Missouri Sen. Blunt

by Caroline Vakil - 02/12/22 3:10 PM ET

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced on Saturday that he would be endorsing Missouri Senate candidate Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) to succeed Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who is retiring after his current term.

“For almost a year I’ve been asked who I intend to vote for in #MOSEN primary this August. Well, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll be supporting ⁦⁦@VickyHartzlerMO⁩. Vicky has the integrity, the heart, and the toughness to represent MO. I can’t wait to work with her,” Hawley tweeted.

Hartzler thanked Hawley for his endorsement in her own post on Twitter.

“Josh @HawleyMO is a fearless, unapologetic conservative leader in the U.S. Senate, & I am honored to have earned his endorsement,” she tweeted. “We need another CONSERVATIVE voice in the Senate, & Josh knows I am the best choice to fight for an America First agenda & fight for Missourians!!”

The Missouri congresswoman announced in June that she would be running for Blunt’s seat. Since 2011, she has represented the state’s 4th Congressional District after she won in an upset against 17-term incumbent Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.).

On her campaign website, Hartzler has touted her 2010 election cycle upset and her support for former President Trump’s policies and conservative issues such as border security and gun rights, among other points.

Other Republican candidates seeking Blunt’s seat include state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, former Gov. Eric Greitens, Rep. Billy Long and attorney Mark McCloskey, who last year gained notoriety after he and his wife were seen waving firearms at Black Lives Matters demonstrators.

Cook Political Report’s latest Senate race ratings for the upcoming 2022 midterm rates Blunt’s seat as “solid Republican.”