With thewin, Republicans claim to at least 51 seats, and thus control of the Senate
The contest between Blunt, a 20-year congressional veteran, and Kander, Missouri’s secretary of state, did not start out high on either party’s list of competitive Senate races in a state Donald Trump won easily.
But Kander, a 35-year-old Afghanistan veteran, proved to be a smart and aggressive campaigner, challenging Blunt’s attempts to brand him a liberal by running an ad in which he assembles an AR-15 rifle blindfolded and describes his combat service.
Kander also sought, unapologetically, to exploit the outsider mood that’s propelled Trump to the fore, criticizing the 66-year-old Blunt as a Washington insider who is part of a failed system. Blunt’s wife and his two sons are lobbyists, including former Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt.