Claire Conner McCaskill (/məˈkæskəl/; born July 24, 1953) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States Senator from Missouri, a seat she was first elected to in 2006. She is the second female U.S. Senator from Missouri (after Jean Carnahan, who served from her appointment in 2001 until 2002) and the first female candidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri. A Democrat, McCaskill was re-elected in 2012, but was defeated in 2018 by Republican Josh Hawley.
Before her election to the U.S. Senate, McCaskill was the 34th State Auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007. She previously served as Jackson County Prosecutor from 1993 to 1998 and as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989. She ran for Governor of Missouri in the 2004 election, beating Democratic incumbent Bob Holden in the primary election but losing to Republican Matt Blunt in a close general election. A native of Rolla, she graduated from the University of Missouri and the University of Missouri School of Law.