Politics & Government

U.S. Rep. Akin Announces Senate Bid

Congressman from Town and Country has been testing the waters for his first statewide run.

Updated 2 p.m.

Echoing themes of limited government, living within means, and calling himself "a consistent conservative," U.S. Representative Todd Akin (R-Town and Country) entered what is now a Republican party primary field to unseat Democrat Claire McCaskill in 2012.

“Missouri has a choice of two futures. And I’m determined to make sure that Missouri voters have an opportunity to exercise that choice. For that reason, I will be running for the U.S. Senate in the 2012 election,” Rep. Akin said.

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Akin has served the 2nd Congressional district for 11 years and told supporters he would be running for Senate at the  in Creve Coeur late Tuesday morning.

Akin painted himself as someone with a record the "literal exact opposite of Claire McCaskill," using examples of McCaskill's support for President Obama's health care policy and stimulus spending to illustrate the differences for voters in a potential general election campaign. He also highlighted his vote against President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind education legislation as a sign of independence from his own party.

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This will be Akin's first statewide campaign, one that he estimates could cost between $15-20 million, based on previous election cycles.

Sarah Steelman, who ran statewide for Treasurer and more recently in a failed primary bid for Governor in 2008, and Ladue businessman John Brunner, Chief Executive Officer of Vi-Jon, a St. Louis health care product company, is also investigating the GOP race, the Associated Press has reported. Akin praised Brunner as "a fantastic guy," Tuesday and appreciated his past support.

The Steelman campaign posted a statement on Facebook after Akin's announcement, saying in part, "We cannot continue to spend money we don't have. I welcome Congressman Akin to the race and look forward to a vigorous debate so we can let the voters decide who is best to stand up for working Missouri taxpayers vs the Washington special interests."

Efforts to reach a McCaskill spokesperson for comment have been unsuccessful Tuesday afternoon.

Rep. Akin did not endorse a successor in what will be a crowded field in the newly-formed 2nd Congressional district. Two Republican candidates, Ed Martin and Ann Wagner, were in attendance at the Drury Inn event.

Previous story:

U.S. Representative Todd Akin said he would run for U.S. Senate late Tuesday morning, ending days of speculation. 

Former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman has also declared her candidacy. The two will face off in a Republican primary in a bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. Akin declared his candidacy in a 11 a.m. announcement at Creve Coeur's .

The announcement was expected. Late last week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing "sources familiar with his thinking", reported Akin would make a run for the seat.

"Congressman Akin has thought long and hard regarding a potential Senate run. He has been encouraged by many conservatives that he would make a good, strong conservative candidate," Akin spokesman Steve Taylor told Town and Country-Manchester Patch when asked for details surrounding the planned announcement. 

Akin's announcement leaves his 2nd district House seat up for grabs. 

In an interview Friday, State Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield,  if U.S. Rep. Todd Akin runs for the U.S. Senate.

Cunningham could face a potentially crowded Republican primary field. Attorney Ed Martin—who narrowly lost to U.S Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis City, last year—announced his candidacy for Akin’s seat earlier this week. Former Missouri Republican Party chairwoman Ann Wagner announced an exploratory committee to run for the seat.

Stay with Patch throughout the day for reaction, and video from today's announcement.

Patch reporter Jason Rosenbaum and Patch editor Gabrielle Biondo contributed to this report.


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