Free Republic

One of the tragedies of the Obama Administration is the historic political accident that it had 60 Senate Democratic votes in 2009. The ability to break a filibuster without Republican votes empowered the left to think it could pass anything, and so it steamrolled ahead with ObamaCare, which needed every one of those 60 votes to pass. Now a couple of those Senators are expressing regrets about those votes after the fact. In our pages last week, former Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh rehearsed the looming economic damage from ObamaCare's medical-device tax. He described, as some of us predicted in 2009...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republican challenger Todd Akin went on the offensive against Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri's Senate race on Monday, claiming that her husband's businesses profited from a federal stimulus act provision that helped finance low-income housing. Akin began running a TV ad claiming "the stimulus made McCaskill rich." In an interview with The Associated Press, Akin said the 2009 stimulus law funded a federal program for low-income housing that directed about $1 million to corporations affiliated with McCaskill's husband. He stopped short of accusing McCaskill of a conflict of interest, but he suggested she knew of...

— U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin released a new television ad over the weekend accusing incumbent Democrat Claire Mccaskill of getting “rich” off of the 2009 stimulus program. “Ever wonder why Claire McCaskill called the stimulus bill ‘wildly successful’,” the commercial asked. “Well now we know. The stimulus made McCaskill rich. More than $1 million paid to partnerships owned by McCaskill’s family.” The ad specifically points to $787,581 in stimulus funding directed to pay off debt within the Department of Housing Development’s Section 8 housing assistance program, which helps low-income renters afford housing. HUD chose to use its portion of...

Todd Akin is coming out with a new ad, aggressively going after Sen. Claire McCaskill for getting rich from the president's 2009 stimulus plan. The ad, shared early with POLITICO, comes amid a flurry of new activity as Republicans decide whether to support Akin now that there's no question that he'll stay in the Missouri Senate race. "Ever wonder why Claire McCaskill called the stimulus bill 'wildly successful'? The stimulus that didn't create jobs, that cost us billions. Well, now we know: The stimulus made McCaskill rich," the ad starts, adding that the stimulus sent more than $1 million to...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A conservative fundraising group endorsed embattled Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin on Thursday and said its membership had pledged $290,000 to help replenish the Republican's financially strapped campaign against Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a statement Wednesday clarifying its support for Rep. Todd Akin in the Missouri Senate race and suggesting it might spend money to help elect him, after saying a month ago that it would not do so. “There is no question that for Missourians who believe we need to stop the reckless Washington spending, rein-in the role of government in people’s lives, and finally focus on growing jobs in this country, that Todd Akin is a far more preferable candidate than liberal Sen. Claire McCaskill,” NRSC executive director Rob Jesmer said. “As with every Republican...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A month after calling on Congressman Todd Akin to drop out of Missouri's U.S. Senate race, the state's incumbent Republican senator now says he'll work for Akin's election.

Now that we ALL know Todd Akin is NOT dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, we have an opportunity to let the GOP know how we feel about them holding back funding for him. With your help, we can send a message from not only Missourians but all other states that will get the GOP's attention between now and the election. When you click on the below url, you will be directed to an official RNC email form asking for your inputs. Please fill this out and send it to them. I have already sent one and intend to...

What's the current polling look like on the McCaskill/Akin race in MO? Last I knew his campaign was trailing a tongue of flame and rapidly approaching 0 AGL, but that was forever ago in political time. I have a vague impression that that's no longer the case anymore, however. What's up right now? I don't have a feel which polls are least skewed/inaccurate for Missouri. I'm having trouble finding sources that aren't just opinion pieces after the debate.

Newt Gingrich will be in St. Louis on Monday fundraising for Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, a source close to the former House speaker confirmed. >snip< “I think Todd Akin was the choice of the people in Missouri, and Todd Akin has publicly apologized,” Gingrich said. “I just think people ought to be a little cautious about saying the voters of Missouri don’t count.” Rick Tyler, one of Gingrich’s longest serving aides and former member of Gingrich’s super PAC, “Winning Our Future,” is now working on Akin’s campaign. Currently Akin is being outspent 10 to 1. One source told ABC...

Written off by many in his own party a mere month ago, Republican Rep. Todd Akin has been slowly rebuilding his Senate campaign after apologizing for inflammatory remarks about pregnancy and rape. Now Akin is approaching a critical week that could determine whether his re-emerging campaign can gain enough momentum to put Missouri back in the battleground column as Republicans attempt to win control of the Senate from Democrats. Tuesday is the deadline for Akin to get a court order to drop his challenge of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. But Akin says he won't do so. Instead, Akin plans to...

(KTVI) – Missouri U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and U.S. Representative Todd Akin will be squaring off in a debate Friday morning in Columbia at 10:45 am. Immediately before that, Governor Jay Nixon will face republican challenger Dave Spence in a debate. Both debates will also include libertarian candidates, Jonathan Dine for the senate, and Jim Higgins for governor. The debates are sponsored by the Missouri Press Association and will be held at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia, Mo. Friday, September 22nd. Executive Center-Columbia Mall 2200 I-70 Drive S.W Columbia , Missouri 65203

The fallout appears to linger in the Missouri Senate race, with incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill still holding a six-point lead over Republican challenger Todd Akin. But the race is tightening. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds McCaskill will 49% support to Akin’s 43%. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate in the contest, and another four percent (4%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

No Pay, No Play: Akin TV Ads Canceled Television ads for Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin have been canceled after Akin's campaign failed to pay the whole bill, Talking Points Memo reports. By Maggie Rotermund Email the author 5:30 am Rep. Todd Akin is facing a new round of bad publicity today after reports have emerged that he has failed to pay for his television advertising on time. Talking Points Memo reports the Akin campaign’s TV ad buy with KOMU, a NBC affiliate in Columbia, was canceled. According to KMOX, the campaign had paid the first half of the buy,...

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Three weeks after Republican Rep. Todd Akin upended the national political landscape by claiming that pregnancies rarely result from “legitimate rape,” the race for Senate in this increasingly conservative state — and in many ways the battle for control of Congress’s upper chamber — has settled into a waiting game. A Sept. 25 deadline looms. That’s the last day Akin can petition Missouri courts to remove his name from the ballot — and comply with the near-universal calls from party leaders who think his comments have made unwinnable a seat they need for an easier path to...

He’s in a money crunch:Todd Akin’s TV ads are, reportedly, being yanked from stations across the state because his campaign isn’t paying the bills. KOMU-TV in Columbia says it received half of the payment for an ad buy, and when it didn’t get the other half, it cancelled the rest of the ads. The station says its confirmed that other stations from St. Louis to Kansas City have been put in the same position. McCaskill, meanwhile, is running positive ads about how moderate she is. I imagine the tone of the race will change markedly if Akin stays in past...

Newt Gingrich on Thursday came to Todd Akin’s defense, calling the embattled Missouri Senate candidate “honorable” and “sincere.” Speaking to POLITICO’s Mike Allen at the Playbook Afternoon Snack event here, the former House speaker said the controversy surrounding Akin’s recent “legitimate rape” comments was a “good example of why the power structure in Washington sometimes ought to take a deep breath.” “Todd Akin made a mistake. He’s an honorable guy, he’s a sincere guy. He said something stupid. There was a firestorm,” Gingrich said.

WASHINGTON, DC, August 29, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A poll of likely Missouri general election voters released this morning shows that, far from being out of the race, embattled Senate candidate Todd Akin has regained his lead over Senator Claire McCaskill by a 45% to 42% margin, with 13% undecided. The survey conducted by Wenzel Strategies commissioned by Family Research Council Action also shows Akin leading by 10 points among independent voters. “Despite the firestorm of news in the Senate race over the past few weeks, most voters have already made up their mind in the race, the survey shows,” said...

Todd Akin WASHINGTON, DC, August 29, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A poll of likely Missouri general election voters released this morning shows that, far from being out of the race, embattled Senate candidate Todd Akin has regained his lead over Senator Claire McCaskill by a 45% to 42% margin, with 13% undecided. The survey conducted by Wenzel Strategies commissioned by Family Research Council Action also shows Akin leading by 10 points among independent voters. “Despite the firestorm of news in the Senate race over the past few weeks, most voters have already made up their mind in the race, the survey...

Exclusive: Jane M. Orient, M.D., says political demagoguery is replacing science “From what I understand from doctors, that’s (conception as a result of rape) really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.” – Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo. All decent people, including U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin, agree that forcible rape is a heinous crime. Almost all would...