Capitol Calling
Missouri's irreverent and vital news source.
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Conservatives have already been called terrorists by our vice president – it is not the respect of the other side we have won. They get to keep spending and we get to hope for spending cuts and pray that tax increases do not happen.
It is a sad, disturbing state of affairs when this embarrassment of a deal is rationally called a victory. I would have voted “no.” I think the immediate consequences that might befall the economy are less than those consequences of continuing on even with the thin patina of responsibility this bill affords.
Ed Martin, a Republican contender for the 2nd Congressional District seat -
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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The Republican establishment in Washington DC is now hanging its hopes on their fifth or maybe sixth option – Medicare-killing Todd Akin.Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Communications Director Matt Canter’s reaction to Ed Martin leaving the Missouri Senate race for potentially open U.S. House seat.
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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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President Barack Obama just finished his speech detailing his decision to intervene in Libya. And Missouri’s newest U.S. Senator turned to Twitter to offer his reaction.
“The President has a responsibility to clearly define the mission & cost of our military involvement to Congress, troops, & American ppl.,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in a trio of Tweets. “Unfortunately, the goal and price of our efforts in Libya are still unclear after President Obama’s address tonight.”
“I’m hopeful our efforts are met w/success, but remain concerned contradictions in President’s strategy may have real repercussions for U.S.,” added Blunt in his third Tweet.
Courtesy of CNN, here is a clip of Obama’s speech:
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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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Ed Martin, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, released a statement this morning expressing apprehension regarding President Barack Obama’s decision to intervene militarily in Libya.
As Robert Koenig reported in his article for the St. Louis Beacon, reaction to the decision to intervene has been mixed. Some lawmakers - such as U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville - have expressed support for the action. Others - such as U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis and number of left-of-center Democrats - have expressed outright wariness to the decision.
Koenig also noted there are Republicans - U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country - who are criticized Obama for not “defining the mission.” In his statement, Martin seems to fall into the category
“Our President has authorized putting our military forces at risk without explaining to the American people what the compelling national interest is in Libya beyond this vague notion of preventing humanitarian disaster,” Martin said in the statement. “How exactly is participating in the erosion of Libyan air defenses, ground forces and knocking out Libyan government installations advancing America’s interests in the region? How will our actions prevent civilian deaths?”
“In the end, our Senators and Representatives are responsible to the American people for how the lives and resources of America are spent in conflicts, just as much as the President is,” Martin added. “While the President ought to be afforded some latitude on emergent situations, a robust debate is owed to America without delay.”
Martin - along with state Treasurer Sarah Steelman - is one of two announced Republican candidates in next year’s U.S. Senate race. Akin and former Missouri Republican Party Chairwoman Ann Wagner are also mulling bids for the 2012 contest.
