Independent U.S. Senate candidate Jared Young won an endorsement Thursday from a Republican stalwart and former mentor of current Sen. Josh Hawley.
Republican John Danforth, who served three terms in the U.S. Senate representing Missouri from 1976-1995, announced his endorsement of Young, a Webb City resident, in a written release.
Danforth, now 87, also served two terms as Missouri attorney general and as U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
“I am honored by Senator Danforth’s endorsement,” Young said. “We share the belief there are real solutions to complex problems if we can reject the angry, divisive tactics that have overtaken American politics.”
Young is a moderate conservative and independent candidate running under the Better Party for the Senate seat representing Missouri.
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Young said one other candidate for federal office, former Ferguson City Council member Blake Ashby, is running for the U.S. House in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District in the Ƶ area under the Better Party ticket.
Danforth, in his written endorsement, said Young “embraces the ideas that have always defined the Republican Party and have been universally accepted across its membership.”
Danforth’s strong support for Josh Hawley — he called Hawley “exceptional” and “a winner” — helped then-Missouri attorney general win the Republican U.S. Senate primary and the general election in 2018. Later, after Hawley announced plans to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, Danforth said backing Hawley was the “worst mistake“ of his life.
Other candidates on the Nov. 5 ballot include Democratic nominee Lucas Kunce and Libertarian W.C. Young.
Danforth’s endorsement of Young isn’t the first time he’s backed a conservative’s independent candidacy. In 2022, Danforth backed John Wood’s bid for U.S. Senate and poured $6 million into that short-lived effort. Wood, then a legal counsel to the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, dropped his campaign after Eric Schmitt won the Republican primary.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to remove the name of one candidate who did not qualify for the ballot.