Capitol Calling

The Hill reports that U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and County, is not ruling out a run next year against U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri.

From the article:

Reps. Sam Graves (R) and Jo Ann Emerson (R) have both passed on challenging Sen. Claire McCaskill (D). But six-term Rep. Todd Akin (R) won’t “discount” making a run.

Republicans have been watching with some trepidation as several well-known candidates flirted with nomination bids. A contentious primary could benefit McCaskill, who admits she is the “underdog” in her reelection contest. The GOP field so far only includes attorney Ed Martin and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman.

A new survey by Public Policy Polling shows Akin essentially tied with McCaskill, while the Democrat leads Steelman 45-42 and tops Martin, a former congressional candidate, 46-40. In a possible match up with former ambassador Ann Wagner (R), McCaskill would win 45-36, according to the survey of 612 Missouri voters. The March 2-6 poll’s margin-of-error was plus-or-minus 4 percent.

Akin told me on Saturday that he wouldn’t rule out a run against McCaskill. GOP senate candidate Ed Martin said in my St. Louis Beacon article that Akin - who won a tough primary to get into national politics - would the primary “very competitive.”

When somebody mentions The Hill, two things come to mind - delectable Italian food and the South City YMCA.

I’m fond of the second item for a selfish reason - I love the gym’s elevated track. But The Hill’s culinary offerings have a sizable reputation in the Show Me State and around the world. 

Gov. Jay Nixon pointed to Volpi Foods as an example of a Missouri business contributing to a boost in the state’s exports last year. Nixon came to St. Louis to tout a 35 percent increase in the state’s exports during 2010.

Before taking some questions from the media, Nixon toured Volpi Foods’ Daggett Ave. eatery with the company’s president, Lorenza Pasetti. And he also purchased some food to “stimulate Missouri’s economy.”

Here’s some video of Nixon touring Volpi Foods and talking about the state’s export increase: