Claire McCaskill
Claire McCaskill | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2011 | |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Carper |
| Succeeded by | Gary Peters |
| United States Senator from Missouri | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Talent |
| Succeeded by | Josh Hawley |
| 34th Auditor of Missouri | |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Governor | Mel Carnahan Roger Wilson Bob Holden Matt Blunt |
| Preceded by | Margaret Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Susan Montee |
| Prosecutor of Jackson County | |
| In office 1993–1998 | |
| Preceded by | Albert Riederer |
| Succeeded by | Robert Beaird |
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 42nd district | |
| In office January 5, 1983 – February 2, 1988 | |
| Preceded by | James Barnes |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Kenton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Claire Conner McCaskill July 24, 1953 Rolla, Missouri, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Missouri (BA, JD) |
Claire Conner McCaskill (/məˈkæskəl/; born July 24, 1953) is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as state auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007. As of 2025, McCaskill is the last Democrat to have represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate.
McCaskill is a native of Rolla, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri and the University of Missouri School of Law. McCaskill served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989, as Jackson County Prosecutor from 1993 to 1998, and as the 34th State Auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007. She ran for governor of Missouri in the 2004 election, defeating Democratic incumbent Bob Holden in the Democratic primary and losing to Republican Matt Blunt in a close general election.
McCaskill was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, the first woman to be elected to the chamber from Missouri (Jean Carnahan was appointed upon the death of her husband). Re-elected in 2012, McCaskill was defeated in 2018 by Republican challenger Josh Hawley. Since February 2019, McCaskill has served as a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC. She is also the author of the memoir Plenty Ladylike (2015).