I first met Claire McCaskill back in 2004 in a meeting held at my home in St. Louis. She was Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill then, far from the high-profile national figure she is today. Even then, I liked McCaskill; she was sharp, frank and down-to-earth. I recall a friend saying that she was headed for bigger things than Missouri; he was right.
These days, McCaskill is a popular U.S. Senator with the President on “speed dial.” She is known as one of the sharpest political minds in Washington and still presents herself as “sharp, frank and down-to earth.” But make no mistake about it, the McCaskill who sat in my living room back in 2004 has long since been dethroned.
The Claire McCaskill of today is one of the most influential members of Congress. An early supporter of candidate Barack Obama, she undoubtedly has the President’s ear and is one of the most recognizable faces on Capitol Hill. She is both saluted and criticized for her propensity for detail, and has been known to cross party-lines when necessary.
Despite this reputation, until recently, McCaskill was a candidate left at death’s political door. Most national polls had her losing handily to Republican challenger Todd Akin, and political pundits had all but chalked Missouri up as a win for Republicans in the November 2012 elections. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Todd Akin!
Adhering to the “Tea-party playbook for nut cases,” Akin decided to feign political physician and pronounced that during a rape, a woman’s body had a way of shutting down portions of itself to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Since no such medical breakthrough had ever been presented to society, especially women, Akin went from a candidate headed for the Senate to a charlatan lamenting a mouth too big for its own good.
Depending on what you read and believe, Senator McCaskill now leads Akin by by 5 to 9 points. Despite losing all funding from the National Republican Party, and weathering a storm of cries for him to step aside, Akin remains adamant that he can still win. For those who watch Missouri politics, we know all too well that he has reason for hope.
Despite his deeply held right-wing convictions and an obvious flirtation with political suicide, Akin still leads McCaskill in all rural corridors of the state. Fortunately, she maintains solid double-digit support in the Kansas City and St. Louis region.
Ironically, support for McCaskill among white Missouri voters is almost split at 45 percent to 46 percent for Akin. Her support among African-American voters however is at 87 percent. Akin has also lost significant support among independents and women.Â
If Senator McCaskill manages to in November, and indications are that she will, she owes benevolence to two factors: good living and Todd Akin! Â Â
George Cotton serves as Senior Major Gifts Officer for The Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem North Carolina.
