Independent files to get on U.S. Senate ballot in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. � Independent candidate Craig O�Dear�s campaign said 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 said in a statement 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 said it submitted 22,000 signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State�s Office, more than twice the required signatures.