Justin's Political Corner
Missouri isn’t considered a swing state for presidential politics this year. Don’t tell that to three GOP candidates actively seeking Sen. Claire McCaskill’s seat. Sarah Steelman, John Brunner and Rep.Todd Akin have emerged as the mainstream candidates who will get the most votes in the Aug. 7 primary election. All three people have picked up recent endorsements signalling the home stretch with just weeks to go.
* Steelman was also endorsed by the more prominent Susan B. Anthony List on Wednesday. Steelman is staunchly pro-life and touts her 100 percent pro-life voting record as a state senator.
* Although not officially endorsed by Sarah Palin, Steelman said Friday she was “proud of any comparison” between her and the former governor of Alaska. Several media outlets such as Talking Points Memo have compared the former state treasurer to Palin.
* Akin counts two big names in national politics as supporters. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., said she “worked well with him in the House” and was “proud” to endorse Akin. Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and former presidential candidate, is in a new commercial supporting Akin’s candidacy.
* The most recent endorsement of Akin comes from Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project. Gilchrist said “no elected official from Missouri has a stronger record on enforcing our nation’s immigration laws than… Akin.”
* Brunner is a St. Louis-area businessman running for his first political office. On Tuesday, he announced the endorsement of state Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-18, as a champion of Brunner’s stance on Missouri’s strong agricultural sector.
* Brunner also revealed Thursday three St. Joseph-area legislators support his run for office. Reps. Glen Klippenstein and Galen Higdon both tout Brunner’s support of small businesses. Former state representative Jim Guest, a cattle rancher, likes the businessman’s stance on agriculture.
* Akin is the only of the three mainstream GOP candidates with any federal legislative experience. He is also the only one currently with a public entity in terms of his full-time employment.
