JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A month before the general election, the race for attorney general gained some focus this week as both the Democratic and Republican nominees released television ads.
Democrat Teresa Hensley is coming off a tightly contested but low-profile victory in the primary and focusing on building name ID. Her opponent, Josh Hawley, built a lot of statewide name recognition in a primary campaign that spent millions of dollars on statewide advertising.
This week, the campaign was quick to respond to Hawley’s ad, which shows him walking up to the Platte County Courthouse, chiding the ad as theater.
“Missouri has enough bad political actors,” said Hensley spokesperson David Woodruff. “Josh Hawley has never prosecuted a single criminal or sought justice for a single victim in a Missouri courtroom. Missouri voters will not be fooled by Josh Hawley’s phony effort and lack of experience. The Attorney General’s office is not a think tank or a political stepping stone. It’s a law office for the people of Missouri.”
The jab came while the campaign announced Hensley’s own new TV ad, which focuses on her experience as a prosecutor in Cass County.
The Missouri Republican Party has taken notice. They sent a press release this week attacking Hensley’s record while Cass County prosecutor, saying she allowed too many plea bargains and avoided the courtroom.
“Teresa Hensley has certainly earned the title of ‘career politician’ – but her problem is this: all her time in the spotlight created a record she can’t stand behind,” said Kristen Blanchard Ansley, a GOP spokeswoman. “As a soft-on-crime county prosecutor, Teresa Hensley was frequently absent and handed out countless plea bargains. Being Attorney General is about having what it takes to get the job done – and Hensley has proven she can’t deliver.”
To counter that message, and to get out her own message, Hensley won’t have to rely on just $25 or $100 donors. She’s picked up some big contributions over the past couple of weeks as she tries to keep up with Hawley, who’s proven to be adept at fundraising in his first attempt at elected office. Hensley has reported ten donations of more than $5,000 over the last two weeks. The Democratic Attorneys General Association – Missouri raised hundreds of thousands of dollars last month to aid the fight.
