Although both candidates in the Missouri attorney general's race agree now is the time to protect Missourians, they have different approaches about how to do the job.
With more than 500 convictions under her belt, Democratic candidate Teresa Hensley describes herself as the "people's attorney." She believes this is what sets her apart from her opponent, Republican Joshua Hawley.
"Promoting advocacy for children, seniors and victims of domestic abuse are all issues that I have made a priority during my time as a prosecutor, and I will continue to do so as attorney general," Hensley told the News Tribune.
Hensley said constituents want to know their attorney general is someone who will listen and talk to them about their concerns.
"I love campaigning," Hensley said. "As a prosecutor with 24 years of courtroom experience, the opportunity to talk with others about their concerns and being able to assure them that I have the ability to fight on their behalf has been very rewarding."
Hawley has a different take on which advocacy efforts matter to citizens across the state. He said he intends to protect citizens by taking on government regulations head first, a different approach than his opponent's.
Hawley told the News Tribune in an email that he believes Washington regulators are crushing Missouri families, homes and businesses.
"From the beginning of this campaign, I've heard frustration with the way government works both at the federal and state levels," he said. "I will fight federal overreach as I've done my entire professional career."
By profession, Hawley is a constitutional attorney who has worked as an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law and also has worked as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Denver-based 10th Circuit, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.
In this race, each candidate's platform issues are indicative of their past experience, not necessarily taking a middle-of-the-road approach on any issue.
JUSTICE
With a track record of more than 500 convictions, Hensley believes she has exemplified her ability to bring justice to citizens across the state.
"In the attorney general position, experience matters. I have had the opportunity to make a change in the way we look at sexual abuse among children and adults, predatory fraud and scams committed against seniors," Hensley said. "I've spent my career making sure those folks are protected."
Hensley also emphasized the importance of alternative programs such as drug courts and DWI programs that offset the cost of sending people straight to jail.
In a phone interview with the News Tribune, Hensley talked about a time when she realized the positive influence alternative programs can have on families.
"In 2015, a man approached me and said, 'You prosecuted my daughter,'" she recalled. "'You gave my daughter back to me and gave her a second chance to do the right thing.'"
When asked what one sentence sums up her campaign efforts, Hensley said, "Hard work and experience."
As Hawley interacts with citizens across the state, he maintains one consistent message: "I am a constitutional lawyer, not a career politician."
He acknowledges he has a slightly different approach in mind when it comes to tackling the major issues Missourians are facing.
"Whether it's overburdensome regulations from Washington or corruption in state government, Missourians are frustrated with the status quo," Hawley said in an email. "If elected, I will fight Washington overreach and clean up Jefferson City."
Hawley was not available for a phone interview, but on his campaign website, in addition to federal government overreach, he said he plans to address issues like immigration, religious liberties, public corruption, lawsuit reform, health care and Second Amendment laws.
SMALL BUSINESS
Although Hensley has a reputation for protecting vulnerable populations, she recognizes the need for the law to support everyone equally, including consumers and businesses. She said she understands protection against consumer fraud is an important component of the issues that may fall on the attorney general's lap, but she said cases like this will not be new to her.
"My years of courtroom experience have included consumer protection cases," Hensley said.
On Hawley's website, he stated, "the federal bureaucracy is out of control, churning out new regulations by the barrel load that depress wages, kill jobs, hamstring farmers, and make energy and health care more expensive for families."
ADVOCACY
"With 24 years in the courtroom and a very strong record with law enforcement, I am passionate about creating more job opportunities, ensuring that community relations get better and providing families with information and services that help them make informed decisions," Hensley said. "We have to be vigilant in our communities in order for any change to occur, and this is the perfect opportunity to take responsibility for the issues in front of us."
Over the past few weeks, Hensley has traveled across the state making stops in cities like Washington, Jefferson City and Butler.
Hawley's campaign website says his supporters have deemed him to be a constitutional conservative who has the experience and the legal background to hold the role of attorney general. Hawley notes he has spent his career defending the rule of law, equivocally known as the Constitution, and if elected, he would enforce it within the state.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For this election preview story, the two candidates were given equal opportunities to respond to questions in person or by phone, rather than responding to emailed questions. Despite repeated attempts, candidate Joshua Hawley declined to arrange a time to answer the questions.
TERESA HENSLEY
Age: 57
Family: Married to Kenneth and has one son
Education: Bachelor's degree from William Jewell College and graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School
Campaign finance
The next quarterly campaign finance report is due Oct. 15 for the July 1-Sept. 30 fundraising period. But the candidates also had to file a "30 days after the primary election report," and it showed as of Sept. 1, Hensley had:
Raised: $1,168,342.94
Spent: $678,837.52
Debt: No debt (including credit charges)
State law requires candidates to report within 48 hours any contributions received that are $5,000 or more. From Sept 1-30, Hensley had raised an additional $770,200 in 16 separate donations - making her total receipts at least $1,938,542.94 through Sept. 30.
JOSHUA HAWLEY
Age: 31
Family: Married to Erin and has two sons
Education: Bachelor's degree from Stanford University and graduate of Yale Law School
Campaign finance
The next quarterly campaign finance report is due Oct. 15 for the July 1-Sept. 30 fundraising period. But the candidates also had to file a "30 days after the primary election report," and it showed as of Sept. 1, Hawley had:
Raised: $5,035,450.55
Spent: $3,860,078.01
No debt (including credit charges)
State law requires candidates to report within 48 hours any contributions received that are $5,000 or more. From Sept 1-30, Hawley had raised an additional $3,187,851 in 20 separate donations - making his total receipts at least $8,223,301.55 through Sept. 30.
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