2018 Missouri Senate race: debates and news coverage

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Abortion     Claire McCaskill: Fund Planned Parenthood; protect abortion providers.     Josh Hawley: Roe v. Wade was most unjust decision in U.S. history.     Tony Monetti: Pro-life, but support healthcare & adoption.     Angelica Earl: Loudly, proudly pro-choice.     Austin Petersen: Against abortion, but would limit government role.

Budget & Economy     Josh Hawley: Reduced budget via staff reduction and exposing fraud.     Austin Petersen: Favors balanced budget amendment.

Civil Rights     Tony Monetti: Value diversity and America's melting pot of cultures.     Austin Petersen: Libertarian view pro-gay marriage.     Angelica Earl: Full equality for LGBT.

Corporations     Claire McCaskill: Amend banking rules in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.     Claire McCaskill: Supports Net Neutrality: equal access to all users.     Josh Hawley: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutional.     Tony Monetti: Lower corporate tax rates where possible.     Josh Hawley: Went after big mortgage companies for improper loans.

Crime     Tony Monetti: Stronger emphasis on policing.     Austin Petersen: End mandatory minimums.     Josh Hawley: Use anti-riot laws on crowds protesting police shootings.     Angelica Earl: Prison not the solution for victimless crimes.     Josh Hawley: Apply consumer protection laws to pursue human traffickers.

Drugs     Claire McCaskill: Supports medical marijuana & alternative drug sentencing.     Josh Hawley: Supports medical marijuana.     Austin Petersen: My ideal: gay couple defends pot farm with machine gun.     Austin Petersen: Treat drugs as medical issue, not criminal.     Angelica Earl: End marijuana prohibition.     Josh Hawley: Charges opioid manufacturers with deception.

Education     Claire McCaskill: Increase student financial aid, like Pell Grants.     Josh Hawley: Give religious schools state educational resources.     Josh Hawley: Universities provide worthless degrees and waste billions.     Tony Monetti: Public schools that fail our kids do not deserve our support.     Austin Petersen: Open to experiment with school choice.     Angelica Earl: More money for schools, less debt for students.     Josh Hawley: Excluding religious school choice amounts to discrimination.

Energy & Oil     Claire McCaskill: Subsidize alternative energy, but build Keystone Pipeline.     Josh Hawley: Oppose the job-killing climate agenda.     Angelica Earl: Coal is the past; time to move forward.     Josh Hawley: Clean Power Plan hurts economy by raising energy prices.     Josh Hawley: Dismantle Obama-era network of energy regulations.

Environment     Claire McCaskill: Limit EPA farm regulations, but no EPA cuts.     Josh Hawley: Fought Obama EPA overreach.

Families & Children     Claire McCaskill: Supports gay marriage.     Josh Hawley: Supports biblical truth about husband & wife, man & woman.     Josh Hawley: 1960s sexual revolution destroys our families.     Claire McCaskill: Women were exploited in 2000 BC, not just from 1960s.     Angelica Earl: Guaranteed family leave.

Free Trade     Claire McCaskill: Opposes Trump's tariffs on China.     Josh Hawley: Supports Trump's tariffs on China, but what about farmers?     Josh Hawley: China systematically abuses the global trade system.     Austin Petersen: Free trade is what America is about.

Government Reform     Claire McCaskill: Limits on corporate campaign donations; full disclosure.     Claire McCaskill: Opposes voter ID requirements.     Josh Hawley: Supported by Citizens United PAC for Attorney General.     Josh Hawley: Defended strict Missouri voter ID requirements.     Tony Monetti: Cut spending, waste, needless regulation.     Tony Monetti: Term limits for senators.     Tony Monetti: Preserve separation of church and state.     Josh Hawley: Work for campaign ethics reform, starting with Missouri.

Gun Control     Claire McCaskill: Supports background checks and assault rifle ban.     Josh Hawley: Supports background checks but not assault rifle ban.     Josh Hawley: Stronger gun control background checks; ban bump stocks.     Austin Petersen: My ideal: gay couple defends pot farm with machine gun.     Tony Monetti: Gun ownership is a guaranteed right.     Austin Petersen: Petersen raffles off an AR-15.

Health Care     Josh Hawley: ObamaCare has raised premiums by 145%.     Josh Hawley: Cover pre-existing conditions by mandate, without ObamaCare.     Claire McCaskill: Protect coverage of pre-existing conditions.     Josh Hawley: ObamaCare was never constitutional.     Josh Hawley: Get rid of ObamaCare, but cover pre-existing conditions.     Tony Monetti: Replace ObamaCare with free market.     Austin Petersen: Marketplace will solve healthcare issues.     Angelica Earl: Supports universal healthcare.     Angelica Earl: Corporate taxes should pay for single payer.     Eric Greitens: ObamaCare has been a disaster in Missouri.     Josh Hawley: Ran for Attorney-General on anti-ObamaCare platform.

Homeland Security     Josh Hawley: Provide veterans with free legal help.     Austin Petersen: Audit the Defense Department.     Tony Monetti: Invest in training & equipment.

Immigration     Claire McCaskill: Opposes border wall; also opposes path to citizenship.     Josh Hawley: Amnesty is not the answer; supports border wall.     Austin Petersen: Problem is welfare state incentive, not immigration.     Josh Hawley: Immigration laws need overhaul but not via executive order.

Jobs     Claire McCaskill: Opposed MO ballot initiative on Right to Work.     Claire McCaskill: Increase minimum wage to $12 by 2023.     Josh Hawley: Support Right to Work: make union dues optional.     Josh Hawley: Minimum wage increase may result in lost jobs.     Austin Petersen: Cut regulations for more jobs.     Angelica Earl: Unions protect workers.     Angelica Earl: Raise minimum wage.

Principles & Values     Josh Hawley: Under investigation for mixing public funds with campaign.     Josh Hawley: Fight the false gospel of 'anything goes'.     Austin Petersen: Though agnostic, stands for religious freedom.     Josh Hawley: Conservative principles are the backbone of our country.

Social Security     Claire McCaskill: Opposes privatization of Social Security and VA.     Austin Petersen: Let young people opt out of Social Security.

Tax Reform     Claire McCaskill: Ad-Watch: Supports middle-class tax cuts, not all tax cuts.     Josh Hawley: Ad-Watch: tax plan gives 25%, not 83%, to richest 1%.     Josh Hawley: Keep deductions for local taxes & 401(k) contributions.     Austin Petersen: 15% flat tax across the board.

Technology     Claire McCaskill: Supports federal infrastructure investment.     Tony Monetti: Re-invest in workers and a crumbling infrastructure.     Tony Monetti: Investment in infrastructure means jobs.

War & Peace     Claire McCaskill: Supported treaty limiting Iran nuclear capability.     Josh Hawley: Withdraw from Iran nuclear treaty.     Josh Hawley: under many threats from radical Islam & N Korea.     Austin Petersen: No foreign actions without Congress's okay.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Angelica Earl Democratic Senate candidate Missouri Austin Petersen Republican candidate for Missouri U.S. Senator Missouri Claire McCaskill Democratic Sr Senator; previously state Auditor Missouri Eric Greitens Missouri Republican Governor (resigned) Josh Hawley Republican candidate for Missouri U.S. Senator Missouri Tony Monetti Republican candidate for Missouri U.S. Senator Missouri