Claire McCaskill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claire McCaskill
Official portrait, 2012
United States Senator from Missouri
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Jim Talent
Succeeded by	Josh Hawley
Committee positions Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019 Preceded by Tom Carper Succeeded by Gary Peters
34th Auditor of Missouri
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2007
Governor	Mel Carnahan Roger Wilson Bob Holden Matt Blunt
Preceded by	Margaret Kelly
Succeeded by	Susan Montee
Prosecutor of Jackson County
In office 1993–1998
Preceded by	Albert Riederer
Succeeded by	Robert Beaird
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 42nd district
In office January 5, 1983 – February 2, 1988
Preceded by	James Barnes
Succeeded by	Joseph Kenton
Personal details
Born	Claire Conner McCaskill (1953-07-24) July 24, 1953 (age 71) Rolla, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	David Exposito ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1995)​ Joseph Shepard ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	3
Education	University of Missouri (BA, JD)

Claire Conner McCaskill (born July 24, 1953) is an American former politician. She served as a U.S. Senator for Missouri from 2007 to 2019. Before that, she was the State Auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007.

McCaskill grew up in Rolla, Missouri. She studied at the University of Missouri and later at the University of Missouri School of Law. As a member of the Democratic Party, McCaskill held several important roles. She was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989. Then, she served as the Jackson County Prosecutor from 1993 to 1998.

In 2004, she ran for governor of Missouri. She won the Democratic primary election but lost to Republican Matt Blunt in the main election. McCaskill was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. She was the first woman elected to the Senate from Missouri. She was re-elected in 2012 but lost her seat in 2018 to Republican Josh Hawley. Since February 2019, McCaskill has worked as a political expert for MSNBC and NBC.

Claire McCaskill's Early Life and Education

Claire McCaskill was born in Rolla, Missouri. Her father, William Young McCaskill, was a state Insurance Commissioner. Her mother, Betty Anne, was the first woman elected to the city council in Columbia, Missouri.

Claire spent her childhood in different towns in Missouri, including Houston, Lebanon, and Columbia. She went to David H. Hickman High School in Columbia. There, she was active in many school activities like cheerleading and debate.

She attended the University of Missouri and earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1975. In 1978, she received her law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law. Before finishing college, she also studied at Georgetown University for a summer.

After law school, McCaskill worked as a law clerk for a year. Then, she joined the Jackson County prosecutor's office.

Claire McCaskill's First Steps in Politics

Serving in the State Legislature

In 1982, McCaskill was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. She represented the Brookside neighborhood in Kansas City. She left the State House in 1988.

Working in County Government

In 1990, McCaskill was elected to the Jackson County Legislature. This group is like a county council.

In 1991, she decided to run for county prosecutor. She believed that crime was a big problem. McCaskill won the Democratic primary and then the general election in 1992. She was the first woman to be the prosecutor for Jackson County. She was re-elected in 1996.

Becoming State Auditor

Results of the 2002 Missouri Auditor General election

In 1998, McCaskill was elected as the state auditor. She won with 50.3 percent of the votes. She was the second woman to hold this position.

When she ran for re-election in 2002, her Republican opponent had a history of fraud. Because of this, the leader of the Missouri Republican Party asked people not to vote for him. McCaskill was re-elected with 60 percent of the vote.

Running for Governor in 2004

McCaskill announced her plan to run for governor in 2003. She challenged the current governor, Bob Holden, in the Democratic primary.

On August 3, 2004, McCaskill defeated Holden. She was the first person to beat a sitting governor in a primary election in Missouri's history. However, on November 2, 2004, McCaskill lost to Republican Matt Blunt in the general election. This was her first election loss in her political career.

Claire McCaskill's Time in the U.S. Senate

McCaskill speaks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

Senate Elections

2006 Election

In 2006, McCaskill ran against the current Senator, Jim Talent. Both easily won their primary elections. McCaskill defeated Talent in the general election on November 8, 2006. She won with 49.6% of the votes.

2012 Election

McCaskill ran without opposition in the Democratic primary. She then faced Republican Todd Akin in the general election. McCaskill won re-election with 55% of the vote.

2018 Election

Campaign bus supporting McCaskill in 2018

McCaskill ran for her third term in the Senate. She faced Republican Josh Hawley. In July 2018, it was reported that hackers tried to get into her staff's emails. This was thought to be an attempt to target her campaign.

In the election, Hawley received 51.5% of the vote, and McCaskill received 45.5%. She later said that one reason she lost was her party's difficulty connecting with people in rural areas. She also mentioned that the discussions around Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court played a role in her defeat.

What Claire McCaskill Did in the Senate

McCaskill visiting protesters during the Ferguson unrest

McCaskill was the first woman elected to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. In 2011, she became Missouri's senior Senator. This means she had served longer than the other Senator from Missouri.

Her Political Views

McCaskill was known as a moderate Senator. This means she often voted with both Democrats and Republicans. In 2013, her voting record was rated as 53% liberal and 47% conservative. In 2018, she voted with President Donald Trump's positions 45% of the time.

2008 Presidential Election

McCaskill campaigning for Obama in 2008

In January 2008, McCaskill supported then-Senator Barack Obama for president. She was one of the first Senators to do so. Her support helped Obama win the Missouri primary election. She was even considered as a possible Vice-Presidential candidate for Obama. She spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August 2008.

2016 Presidential Election

In 2013, McCaskill announced her support for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. She was a strong supporter of Clinton during the primary elections.

Views on the Economy

McCaskill speaks in Columbia, Missouri, in March 2014.

McCaskill's views on economic policy were also seen as mixed. In 2017, President Trump visited Missouri to promote his tax plan. He said that if McCaskill didn't support it, she should be voted out. McCaskill said she could support a tax bill that was created in a "bipartisan way" (meaning with both parties working together). She did not support Trump's tax bill, saying it would mostly help wealthy people in Missouri.

Views on Immigration

In 2010, McCaskill voted for the DREAM Act. This act would have given a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

In 2018, she supported a bill to hire more border officers. McCaskill also said that protecting "DREAMers" (young immigrants) was a top priority. She opposed the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant families at the border.

Views on Government Spending

McCaskill supported laws to improve how government employees use credit cards. This was to help save federal money.

Views on Armed Services

McCaskill and Senator Roy Blunt speaking at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in 2014

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCaskill supported updating nuclear weapons. In 2017, she voted to support a large arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

She also worked on improving how the military handles certain crimes. Her bill allowed victims to choose if their cases should be tried in the military or civilian justice system. This bill passed the Senate in 2014.

Views on Health Care

McCaskill voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, in 2009.

In 2017, she said she was against a single-payer healthcare system. She thought it was too expensive and not realistic. She also introduced a bill called the Health Care Options for All Act. This bill would help people in areas without health-care exchanges get coverage. She often spoke about protecting health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions.

Views on Gun Laws

McCaskill received a low rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund because she did not support their views on gun rights.

She voted for more expanded background checks for gun purchases. She also supported a proposal to make it illegal for people on the terror watchlist to buy guns. In 2016, she joined other senators in asking for more research on gun violence. After the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, McCaskill supported a bill to ban "bump stocks" (devices that make guns fire faster).

Views on Terrorism

McCaskill at Camp Eggers, Afghanistan in 2010

In 2013, McCaskill asked if there was a difference between the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing besides the weapon used. She urged officials to rethink how they define criminal acts as terrorism.

Views on LGBT Rights

On March 24, 2013, McCaskill publicly supported same-sex marriage. She stated that the government should not tell people who they can marry.

Views on Net Neutrality

McCaskill and a Congressional aide on their cellphones

In 2018, McCaskill announced her support for a Senate bill to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) decision to end net neutrality. Net neutrality rules aim to keep the internet open and fair for everyone.

Views on Trade

McCaskill opposed President Trump's trade tariffs. She said they were "hurting Missouri farmers and manufacturing."

Views on Voting Rights

In 2018, McCaskill introduced a bill to make it illegal to spread false information about an election. This includes false information about voting times, places, or voter qualifications. She said that such misinformation harms democracy.

Claire McCaskill's Committee Work

McCaskill served on several important committees in the Senate:

• Committee on Armed Services
• United States Senate Committee on Finance
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (She was the Ranking Member, meaning the top member of the minority party).

She also led a special committee for the impeachment of a judge, Samuel B. Kent.

Claire McCaskill's Life After Public Office

On January 15, 2019, McCaskill joined NBC News and MSNBC as a political analyst. She often appears on shows like Deadline: White House and Morning Joe.

In 2022, McCaskill joined the Council for Responsible Social Media project. This group works to address the negative effects of social media in the United States.

Claire McCaskill's Personal Life

McCaskill was married to David Exposito, and they had three children. They divorced in 1995. She married Joseph Shepard in 2002.

In 2009, McCaskill shared that she was a contestant on the game show High Rollers early in her career. She won for four days and sold some of her prizes to pay off her student loans.

McCaskill lives in Washington, D.C. and Kirkwood, Missouri. In February 2016, she announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She said her prognosis was good and she expected a full recovery.

Claire McCaskill's Education and Awards

Education

Location	Date	School	Degree
Missouri	1975	University of Missouri	Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political science
Missouri	1978	University of Missouri School of Law	Juris Doctor (JD)

Honorary Degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree	Gave commencement address
Missouri	2009	William Woods University	Doctorate	Yes

Awards

Location	Date	Institution	Award
Missouri	April 21, 2009	University of Missouri	Outstanding Alumni Service Award
Missouri	April 6, 2019	Missouri Military Academy	General Clifton B. Cates "I Will Hold" Award
Missouri	October 13, 2020	National Council of Jewish Women (St. Louis Chapter)	Hannah G. Solomon Founder's Award
Missouri	December 2, 2020	City of Independence Missouri	Harry S. Truman Public Service Award

Images for kids

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  Results of the 2002 Missouri Auditor General election

• 

  McCaskill speaks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

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  Campaign bus supporting McCaskill in 2018

• 

  McCaskill visiting protesters during the Ferguson unrest

• 

  McCaskill campaigning for Obama in 2008

• 

  McCaskill speaks in Columbia, Missouri, in March 2014.

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  McCaskill and Senator Roy Blunt speaking at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in 2014

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  McCaskill at Camp Eggers, Afghanistan in 2010

• 

  McCaskill and a Congressional aide on their cellphones

See also

In Spanish: Claire McCaskill para niños

• Women in the United States Senate