Election Night Thrills: Covering Claire McCaskill's 2018 Senate Race in St. Louis

I never understood why some people in the news business didn’t enjoy working election nights—they were my absolute favorite. During my time in Pittsburg and Wichita, I covered local elections, but when I was in Kansas City, I got the chance to cover Claire McCaskill’s watch party in St. Louis in 2018, alongside Tom Dempsey. The U.S. Senate race between McCaskill, who first won the seat in 2006, and her challenger, Josh Hawley, was attracting national attention. Hawley eventually won the race.

Tom and I headed to St. Louis on November 4, the night before the election, accompanied by one of the best engineers in the business, Larry Rempe, who ran our satellite truck. One thing I loved about working at KSHB-TV was how they invested in covering big stories. We filmed election preview stories in front of the iconic Gateway Arch, and I also got to cover the moment McCaskill cast her vote, which was a fun experience. I always enjoyed it when national news crews followed candidates to the polls. We were the only Kansas City station there, and securing a spot to interview McCaskill afterward was challenging with both national and St. Louis media outlets present.

In my 17 years in news, this experience ranks in my top ten.