McCaskill off to interesting campaign kickoff with liberal Franken

By most political wisdom, one of the most closely watched political races next year will be right here in Missouri.

Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill has announced she will seek reelection in a state where Donald Trump won handily last year.

She already has amassed a substantial $7 million war chest to face her likely GOP opponent Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.

To win reelection, McCaskill will have to tiptoe through her staunch opposition to the Trump White House.

That opposition may play well in Missouri's urban centers, but it's doubtful her message will have much traction outstate.

In what seems an odd move to me, McCaskill next month will welcome Minnesota Sen. Al Franken to boost her campaign.

Sen. Franken is one of the more liberal members of the Senate, and if McCaskill somehow believes his campaigning will help her, she may be mistaken.

Voters nationwide and here at home are growing increasingly weary of the constant drumbeat against the Trump administration.

McCaskill has been relatively calm in her opposition, though her voting record mostly follows the party line.

Franken, on the other hand, is a leading voice against the new administration, and his name has been in the mix for higher office.

I got a chuckle from the statement announcing Franken's plans to campaign for McCaskill.

The release from Franken said McCaskill "knows the state well" and that "Claire represents Missouri and I have a lot of faith in her."

Those generic comments fall short of some ringing policy endorsement to put it mildly.

Expect McCaskill to bring in some heavyweight political voices in the months ahead. If former President Barack Obama decides to hit the campaign trail next year -- and he will -- expect him to visit Missouri in support of McCaskill.

Hawley just recently announced his decision to face McCaskill, assuming he wins the Republican nomination, which seems likely at this point. Hawley understandably lags in fundraising, but by any measure it's early in the process.

The decision to help launch her reelection campaign with Franken may prove to be a critical mistake this early in the game.

I can envision campaign ads showing Franken railing against the Trump White House and tying him closely to the Missouri senator.

For diehard liberals, this may be red meat.

For the rest of Missouri, Franken's non-stop, anti-Trump syndrome may be a tad too far.

Michael Jensen is the editor of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Missouri.