Republican U.S. Senate contender Josh Hawley is on the fast track — if he can win one of the year’s toughest races. The hype is easy to understand as soon as Josh Hawley steps in front of a crowd, like on a sweltering Memorial Day in Springfield, Missouri, where, in just 3.5 minutes, his rich baritone has hundreds captivated by a rousing lesson on the history of the holiday. It’s moments like these when you start to imagine a national stage for Missouri’s 38-year-old attorney general and former U.S. Supreme Court clerk. But hours earlier, as Hawley makes the rounds at a nearby breakfast spot, you can also see the problem he faces in his quest to join the U.S. Senate: GOP voters hassling him about his handling of a messy scandal with the Republican governor — who resigned the following day after being accused of assaulting his mistress and trying to blackmail her. Hawley, meanwhile, tries to say “secure the border” and reference President Donald Trump as often as possible. In his telling, the talented attorney was dragged into running both for A.G. in 2016 and now the Senate against two-term Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill. D.C. and Missouri Republican insiders see a supremely smart political natural, perfect for one of the nation’s marquee races, with control of the Senate in the balance. But Hawley has been accused of lacking a campaign work ethic, and even in a state Trump won by nearly 19 percentage points, Democrats could seize the midterm momentum. | 