McCaskill campaigns down on the farm
McCaskill, the incumbent Democrat, faces U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R- Wildwood, in her bid for a second term. Although she is originally from Rolla, Democrats' strongest support is expected to come from St. Louis and Kansas City, with potential problems for them in the middle of the state.
McCaskill Monday started a six-day, 20-stop tour, dubbed the " 'Fighting for Our Farmers' Barnstorm." In a statement, her campaign also announced the creation of a new “grassroots coalition” of Missouri farmers “who support Claire because of her record of standing on the side of Missouri’s farmers.”
Congress recently failed to pass a new farm bill, which would include crop insurance and other policies crucial to drought-stricken farmers. The problem for some Republicans, including Akin, is that it also includes food stamp spending for low-income families.
“Whether it’s trying to privatize Medicare and Social Security or voting against critical disaster relief and the Farm Bill, Todd Akin’s repeatedly shown Missouri’s rural families that he’s too far outside the mainstream and stands on the side of Washington special interests,” McCaskill said in an emailed statement announcing the rural-themed campaign swing.
In a recent piece in the Insurance Journal, Akin explained his farm bill opposition: “Most of the farm part of the thing, I’m quite reasonable and pretty comfortable with. (But) I’ve never been a big fan of the government, and particularly more and more and more growing those programs,” such as food stamps.