Capitol Calling
Missouri's irreverent and vital news source.
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Washington needs to change its ways and it needs new conservative leaders who do what they say they will do. When I signed the cut, cap and balance pledge, I meant it. We need to cut spending, cap government growth and balance the budget. I appreciate the difficult challenge that Republicans faced in this fight, and recognize these challenges were exacerbated by President Obama’s dismal failure of leadership.
However, I cannot support this deal for three reasons. First, the Balanced Budget Amendment provision is toothless without a passage requirement. Second, the compromise puts our national security at risk with deep, unacceptable cuts to our national defense. Finally, this deal opens the door to job-destroying tax increases. For these reasons, I do not support this debt ceiling deal.
Ann Wagner, a Republican candidate for the 2nd Congressional District -
State Sen. Jane Cunningham will not run for the U.S. Congress.With U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, vacating his seat in Congress to run for the U.S. Senate, Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, had expressed interest in running for the U.S. 2nd District House seat.
But she told a St. Louis radio station on Wednesday morning that she would instead run for re-election for her western St. Louis County state Senate seat.
“This has been a long evaluation, a though evaluation for me, because I can really see myself in both places,” Cunningham said on the Jamie Allman Show on 97.1 FM. “I never go for title. I want to go for purpose where I can make an impact. And what I have chosen after my evaluation is today to announce my intention and commitment to run for a second term in the Missouri Senate.”
The two announced Republican candidates in the 2nd District race released statements this morning praise Cunningham’s decision to run for re-election.
Ed Martin, a St. Louis City attorney who ran for Congress in 2010 against U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, said in a statement that Cunningham is “a true conservative leader who has walked the walk not just talked the talk.”
“Let me be clear: Jane Cunningham would be a strong member of Congress because she has stayed true to her principles and not simply said whatever she needed to be in office like many candidates today,” Martin said. “I fully expect her to be in public service for many years as a state senator, as governor, or any other office she seeks.”
Ann Wagner, a former chairwoman for the Missouri Republican Party who lives in Ballwin, released a statement calling Cunningham “a great friend and an effective, conservative voice for St. Louis County in the Missouri State Senate.”
“We both live in the 2nd Congressional District, are both conservative women, and both care deeply about our neighbors and the direction of our country, and I will be working hard to ensure Jane Cunningham returns to the State Senate,” Wagner said in a statement.
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I know that state Rep. Rick Stream has been getting encouragement to run for #mo2 as well. How do you think the field will ultimately shape up?
Asked by Anonymous
First of all, thank you for the question.
While it’s hard to say who would have the advantage this far out from the primary, it would not surprise me if the GOP field expanded to five to six candidates. This is obviously a rare opportunity for Republican congressional aspirants from St. Louis County, and to some extent St. Charles County, to run for a GOP-leaning seat.
At this point, I would say Ed Martin, Ann Wagner and Jane Cunningham will definitely be in this race. I heard about Joe Smith for the first time today, and I would guess a St. Charles County candidate could run even if he passes. As for Stream, my take would be that his decision would depend upon whether Mike Gibbons runs for the seat. Even if that isn’t a factor, running statewide - even unsuccessfully - helped Blaine Luetkemeyer in his congressional bid. And you could say such experience could help Gibbons as well.
In any case, Kirkwood is a sizable population center in MO-2, so it would not surprise me if a candidate emanated from that part of the district. Thus, Steam could be a logical contender for Congress.
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Former Missouri Republican Party chairwoman Ann Wagner made her 2nd Congressional District bid official Tuesday on the Dana Loesch Show.
Right after she made the announcement, Wagner put out a statement making her bid extra official:
“Today I am making it official. I am a candidate for Congress from my hometown. I have been traveling the district and listening to the people in our district about the strong, effective, conservative leadership we need in the Congress,” Wagner said. “The encouragement and enthusiasm I’ve received to run for Congress has been overwhelming.
Before she went on Loesch’s program, Wagner attended U.S. Rep. Todd Akin’s U.S. Senate announcement in Creve Coeur. She talked about her congressional bid after Akin’s announcement. Click on the audio link to hear some of the Q&A with reporters.
One other note: former state Rep. Joe Smith, R-St. Charles, said in a Tweet he was seriously considering running for Akin’s seat. The reconfigured 2nd District includes portions of St. Charles County.
Smith considered running for the U.S. Ninth District seat in 2008 when U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, ran for governor. He decided instead to run for re-election. Smith unsuccessfully ran last year for St. Charles Recorder of Deeds.
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Jo Mannies of the St. Louis Beacon is reporting that Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, will “definitely” run for Congress.
The first-term state senator had expressed interest in running for the seat earlier this year. But in an interview, Cunningham said she will make it official if U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country, runs for Congress:
“I’m in,” said Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, on Tuesday, referring to the increasingly crowded field for the 2nd Congressional District.
So far, St. Louis lawyer Ed Martin has switched his candidacy from the U.S. Senate to the 2nd District, and former Ambassador Ann Wagner has announced an exploratory committee.
But Cunningham — who has made no secret of her own interest for weeks — emphasized she won’t formally announce until the district’s incumbent congressman — fellow Republican Todd Akin of Town and Country — officially declares he’s running in 2012 for the U.S. Senate.
“I’m very sensitive to being honorable to him,” Cunningham said. “It’s totally up to him.”
If Cunningham runs, it will mean that her Senate seat will be vacant next year. That will likely prompt a flood of Republican candidates to run in that race.
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I caught up with newly-minted congressional candidate Ed Martin today at McArthur’s Bakery in south St. Louis County.
I asked Martin about the prospect of a GOP primary, the fact that he doesn’t reside in the 2nd Congressional District and whether the dynamics of the race change compared to 2010 since the district is more Republican.
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Ed Martin is switching elections.
The Republican attorney is out of the U.S. Senate race and instead will run in the reconfigured 2nd Congressional District seat. The seat’s current inhabitant - U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country - is expected to run for the U.S. Senate against U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
In addition to making a Web video, Martin changed his Web site to “Ed Martin for Congress.” The site features the sub-headline “Ed Martin v. Russ Carnahan, round 2,” an allusion to the fact that the Democratic congressman may run what is now Akin’s district. Carnahan defeated Martin last year by a relatively small margin.
“Elected officials like Russ Carnahan have been focused on growing their power and enriching themselves instead of remembering our families and safeguarding the American dream,” Martin said in a statement. “I am running for Congress because I know we can do better. I want to fight for the American dream and for our future.”
Former Republican Party Chairwoman Ann Wagner is also exploring entering the race, as is Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield.
I asked Martin a couple of months ago about the effect of Akin entering the U.S. Senate race. This was his response:
Does that mean Martin would fear an Akin bid for U.S. Senate?
“If Todd Akin gets in, I think it makes it a really competitive race,” Martin said. “I don’t fear anybody. If you get up worrying about the other guy in the morning, you wouldn’t get up and do this. Because Claire McCaskill is well-funded, bright, experienced and knows how to fight a really hard-fought — some would call it mean — campaign.”
“This is not something you take lightly,” Martin added.
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The Fix - one of the Washington Post’s most popular political blogs - examined what it calls “the McCaskill vacuum.”
That aforementioned term refers to the fact that no single candidate in the Missouri U.S. Senate race has emerged as the primary threat to Sen. Claire McCaskill’s re-election bid.
From the post:
Former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman and former congressional candidate Ed Martin are already in the race, while Rep. Todd Akin and former Ambassador to Luxembourg Ann Wagner,who ran for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee earlier this year, are both weighing their options.
Depending on who you ask, none of the above names is the party’s ideal candidate for the seat. And given McCaskill’s problems, it would seem some other Republicans might see a golden opportunity to get to the Senate..
But former Sen. Jim Talent and Reps. Sam Graves and Jo Ann Emerson have already said they won’t run, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder is likely to run for governor, and former Gov. Matt Blunt, who has worked in Washington since leaving office, has never been seriously mentioned for the post. (Plus his father, Roy, is the state’s other senator. Matt Blunt told The Fix he doesn’t “have any plans” to run — which isn’t a categorical denial but seems genuine.)
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There’s been a lot of speculation over the past weeks about whether members of Missouri’s Republican congressional delegation will try to upend U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
U.S. Reps. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, and Jo Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, mulled over bids, but decided against a U.S. Senate run. There was even some chatter about U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, getting into race, although the two-term lawmaker also chose to remain in the House.
What about U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country? The five-term lawmaker told me on Saturday that “when it comes a year and a month, I’ll have to go down to Jeff City and sign up for something.”
So far, the major announced candidates are former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman and attorney Ed Martin. Former Missouri Republican Party chairwoman Ann Wagner could also get into the race.
In addition to inquiring whether he is considering running for U.S. Senate next year, I asked Akin about the 2010 and 2012 election cycles and President Barack Obama’s effect on the political landscape. Click on the audio clip above for more.
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After falling short in his bid against U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, Ed Martin is setting his sights a little bit higher by running for U.S. Senate.
Martin spent Saturday evening at St. Louis County Lincoln Days meeting with supporters and mingling with the county’s party faithful. Above is part of an audio interview with Martin.
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This morning’s headlines are brought to you by “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash, also known to the world as “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel.OK, I’ll try to keep the wrestling references to a minimum. But it’s going to be hard:
- SENATE SCRAMBLE: Jo Mannies at the St. Louis Beacon has two articles of note concerning the Missouri Senate race. The first one looks at whether former Missouri Republican Party Chairwoman Ann Wagner will run for Senate. The other article looks into rumors at U.S. Reps. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country, or Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, will run instead.
- BLAINE V. SARAH, THE REMATCH: Political consultant James Harris sent a Tweet about Luetkemeyer being “drafted” for the Senate race. Harris has done work for both Steelman and Luetkemeyer in the past. And of course, Luetkemeyer lost to Steelman in the 2004 GOP primary for state Treasurer.
U.S. Reps. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, and Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, were also considering running against U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri. Both ended up declining.
- SCOTT V. BILL: Mannies also caught up with state Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, about possibly running for Secretary of State against incumbent Democrat Robin Carnahan. If he runs, Rupp will square off against Sen. Bill Stouffer, R-Napton, in the GOP primary.
- ODD COUPLE: Politico writes about the potential relationship between incoming Chicago Mayor Rahmn Emanuel and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.
- TWITTER TOWN: As Lincoln Days continues this weekend in Springfield, make sure you follow @roseannmoring, @jmannies, @johncombest, @virginiayoung and @eyokley.
[As always, thanks to johncombest.com for the headlines.]
