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Rep. Akin wins Missouri Republican Senate primary, will face Sen. McCaskill
Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) has won Missouri's hotly contested Republican Senate primary and will face Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in the fall.
Akin led the three-way race with 36 percent, while businessman John Brunner and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R) trailed with 30 percent and 29 percent, respectively. The Associated Press has called the race.
Democrats had made it clear they hoped he'd win the race. McCaskill ran ads during the primary blasting all three, but the ads against Akin described him only as the “true conservative" in the race and say he's a "crusader against bigger government" — hardly a damning offense in a Republican primary.
Akin celebrated his victory in a speech laced with religious references, opening by thanking "God our Creator who has blessed this campaign, heard your prayers, and answered them with victory."
After thanking former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), whose endorsement gave him a big boost in the race, Akin turned to McCaskill.
"Let me tell you exactly what the race for United States Senator for Missouri is all about. This campaign is about reclaiming our God-given values, rebuilding the American Dream, and restoring the America we love. This is our call. This is our vision. This is our message to the hard-working people of Missouri," he said.
"The choice is clear in November," he continued. "The big spending, budget-busting, job-killing liberal or the less spending, balanced budget, job-creating conservative."
While McCaskill's campaign denied she had a preference in the race, Republicans tracking her ad buys in the state told The Hill earlier this week that nine out of 10 ads have been those describing Akin as a conservative, while only 5 percent have been the anti-Steelman and anti-Brunner ads. Majority PAC, a Democratic super-PAC, has been running ads against all three candidates at the same rate, although they, too, didn't attack Akin on issues that could hurt him with Republican primary voters.
"This election is now a clear choice, and it boils down to a very simple question: whose side are you on?" McCaskill said in a statement released after the results came in. "Todd Akin has made it clear he would side with extreme politicians in Washington to privatize Medicare and Social Security, end student loans, and protect tax giveaways for corporations that ship Missouri jobs overseas. When Missourians have a chance to hear what Akin really stands for, they'll take a look at my record and see that I've always been an independent voice standing on the side of Missouri's families."
Despite Akin's win, McCaskill has a very tough fight on her hands. He's led her in the last two public polls in the race, and she's long been the top target for GOP-affiliated outside groups, who have already spent $15 million against her, with millions more planned for the fall.
Akin built his win on solid support in the St. Louis area, where he hails from, as well as strong backing from the state's conservative Christians. His campaign got a big boost from Huckabee, who remains immensely popular with the state's evangelicals. All three GOP campaigns said the Huckabee endorsement helped Akin close what had been a large double-digit lead for Brunner heading into July.
Republicans only need a net gain of four seats, if President Obama wins reelection, to take the upper chamber, and Missouri is one of their leading targets.
Brunner, a wealthy businessman, had held a more sizable lead in the primary earlier this summer, largely because he'd used nearly $8 million of his personal fortune to start running ads long before the other candidates could afford to go on air. Steelman also had late traction, driven largely by an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R). But the Huckabee endorsement and Akin's strong name recognition in his home district helped him win the race.
—This post was updated at 11:35 p.m.
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