Hawley embarasses Missourians; Blunt redeems them

Josh Hawley's name is all over headlines across the country, for the wrong reasons. Hawley led the pointless effort in the Senate to block the certification of the results of the presidential election, despite knowing as a constitutional lawyer it would go nowhere. Yet he chose to fan Trump supporters' false hopes in a calculated attempt to inherit these followers for a 2024 run. He fistpumped the crowd of "protesters" outside the Capitol on his way to the Chamber -- on his way to throw a wrench into the cogs of democracy. We all know what that crowd did shortly after.

So Josh Hawley's name will forever be associated with the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6. The accompanying "(R-Mo.)" in the press should sadden all Missourians. Many of my friends and family in my hometown of Jackson decry him and his role in the riot, saying "this is not who we are." But this is the easy way out. We elected him in a free and fair election in 2018. Like it or not, he is who we are, and we should be ashamed.

But that's not the whole story, because we do have another senator. Missourians can be proud of Roy Blunt's behavior during the certification process. As chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, Sen. Blunt calmly oversaw the counting of the electoral votes. He opposed Hawley's fringe movement because he knows our democracy depends on respecting the results of elections. He understands in a democracy, no political party can expect to win every time, but there is always another chance in four years. Most importantly, he understands something Hawley clearly does not: that democracy cannot be taken for granted, and certainly should not be undermined for the purpose of scoring cheap political points. If Hawley represents Missourians' worst impulses, Blunt represents our better ones. Hawley represents lawless opportunism; Blunt represents principled conservatism.

Sen. Hawley has dug in his heels amid calls to resign. The Missouri Republican Party should remove him and replace him in a special election if it can, especially since Hawley is now such a pariah in the Senate he's unlikely to get anything done for Missourians. However, if the Party cannot or will not do that, it is up to the voters. Remember Jan. 6 in Hawley's next primary, my fellow Missourians. Replace him with a principled Republican who won't embarrass us on the national stage. Prove that Hawley is not who we are anymore.

Caitlyn Bess is from Jackson. She is currently a Masters of International Affairs candidate at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.