Sen. McCaskill denies rooting against St. Louis for 2012 DNC

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is pushing back on reports that she was privately rooting against St. Louis’s bid to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

In an interview with Missouri radio station KMOX on Wednesday, McCaskill said she was contacting Democratic officials involved in the decision “incessantly.”

"It got to the point where [DNC Chairman] Tim Kaine and [strategist] David Plouffe and [former White House deputy chief of staff] Jim Messina and those guys quit returning my phone calls in the last month because I was bugging them incessantly," McCaskill said. 

The Democratic National Committee announced on Tuesday that Charlotte, N.C., will host the party's 2012 convention. St. Louis, Cleveland and Minneapolis were the other finalists. 

"I worked very hard," McCaskill said. "I wanted it for St. Louis very badly. It would have meant organizational help on the campaign. It would have meant great economic activity for St. Louis.”

McCaskill's denial came in response to a New York Times story on Tuesday that cited anonymous "party officials" to report that McCaskill was worried that a St. Louis convention would have "complicated" her reelection campaign. 

Republicans jumped on the Times story to criticize her as putting personal politics ahead of her constituents. On Tuesday, the GOP's website featured an item titled, "Apparently There's Only One Job In Missouri She's Worried About."

McCaskill is considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators up for reelection in 2012. A number of established Republicans in Missouri are expected to vie for the opportunity to challenge her in the general election. 

McCaskill said there’s no political upside to be found for her in the DNC’s decision.

“Lets get real, us not getting it is not going to stop any attacks from coming my way about the fact that I supported Barack Obama for president," McCaskill said.