Independent Files to Get on US Senate Ballot in Missouri

Independent candidate Craig O'Dear's campaign says it has submitted more than enough signatures to get on the November ballot in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Missouri.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican, is trying to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in a state President Donald Trump won by nearly 19 points. It remains to be seen what effect of the addition of an independent candidate will have in that close contest.

O'Dear says in a statement that Missouri voters will have the choice to pick a candidate committed to leading away from hyper-partisan warfare and gridlock and toward common sense problem solving.

O'Dear's campaign says it submitted 22,000 signatures to the Missouri secretary of state's office, more than twice the required signatures.