McCaskill camp hits back at attack ad resurrecting allegations against husband
The Club for Growth is out with a tough new television ad that evokes decades-old domestic violence allegations against the husband of Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.
The new spot, which drew a harsh rebuke from McCaskill's campaign, questions whether McCaskill can be an advocate for victims because of allegations made against her husband, Joseph Shepherd, at the end of his first marriage.
The spot includes pictures of a petition for a protective order filed against Shepard claiming he "tripped" and "hit" his first wife.
"As victims cry for help, is Claire McCaskill listening? Even after McCaskill's political benefactor and now husband was accused of abusing his then wife, McCaskill looked the other way," the narrator says.
The ad closes with the narrator talking behind a silhouette of a person being hit to the ground.
The ad is running statewide, according to The Washington Examiner. Data provided by Advertising Analytics shows it had already run about 30 times in St. Louis and Springfield by Monday afternoon.
McCaskill's campaign released a brief statement from Shepard's ex-wife, Suzy Shepard, blasting the attack.
"I support Claire and hope she is re-elected. This attack is terribly unfair and the worst kind of disgusting dirty politics," she said.
And Meira Bernstein, McCaskill's communications director, criticized the ad in her own statement.
"This is an ugly and shameful personal attack. Claire will not be discussing her husband's divorce, which occurred over 20 years ago. Missourians deserve so much better. Josh Hawley should be ashamed," she said.
McCaskill's husband has been at the center of the political attacks against her, especially as her race against Missouri Republican Attorney Gen. Josh Hawley heats up. But until now, those attacks centered on his business record.
Hawley's campaign had no role in the ad and it cannot coordinate with the Club's messaging.
When asked about the criticism, Club spokeswoman Rachael Slobodien defended the ad.
"Claire McCaskill pretends to be an advocate for women, but it's abhorrent that she continues to ignore her husband's prior record of domestic violence," she said.
"And now she's gone so far as to cover for him and says it doesn't matter. Well it matters to Missouri voters. She's unfit to be Senator."
Update: Kelli Ford, a Hawley campaign spokeswoman, told The Hill in response to the ad that he "doesn't like personal attacks."
"If he had his way, this race would focus 100% on how he and Claire McCaskill differ in the way they approach the job of being Missouri's Senator. Josh believes our Senator should represent Missouri's views while Claire is willing to do whatever helps herself and the Democratic Party elites," Ford added.