Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said Tuesday that she wouldn’t roll out the welcome mat for President Obama if she were seeking re-election in Missouri this year.
McCaskill was asked during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” if she would campaign alongside Obama if she were running in red states like Louisiana, North Carolina or Arkansas.
“Probably not,” McCaskill said. “I mean, I try to be really candid and honest on this show. The President’s numbers are not strong in my state or in Arkansas or Louisiana or North Carolina. He did not win those states when he ran for re-election in 2012.”
But McCaskill said the Democratic incumbents running for re-election in the aforementioned states — Mark Pryor (AR), Mary Landrieu (LA) and Kay Hagan (NC) — can still win, and she dismissed the notion that avoiding Obama on the campaign trail matters to voters.
“I think this issue of whether or not you have Obama come to your state is something we like to focus on in Washington, but probably is not that important when you get out to these states,” McCaskill said.
Obama told vulnerable Democratic senators last week that he won’t be offended if they ask him to stay away from their campaigns this year.
McCaskill opted against attending the Democratic National Convention in 2012, when she was in the midst of a re-election bid that many expected to be an uphill climb. She ultimately defeated former Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) by a wide margin to secure a second term.
