2012 United States Senate election in Missouri

2012 United States Senate election in Missouri
Turnout	64.75%
	McCaskill: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70-80% 80–90%; Akin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
U.S. senator before election; Claire McCaskill; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Claire McCaskill; Democratic

The 2012 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill was unopposed in the Democratic primary and U.S. Representative Todd Akin won the Republican nomination with a plurality in a close three-way race.

Years prior, many forecasters considered Claire McCaskill to be the most vulnerable Democratic senator seeking re-election in 2012 due to the state's rightward shift. This election received considerable media coverage due to controversial comments made by the eventual Republican nominee, Todd Akin, most notably his claim that women could not get pregnant from rape. McCaskill was comfortably re-elected to a second term, with backlash against Akin from women, particularly suburban white women, being cited as the main reason. As of 2024^[update], this was the last time the Democrats won a U.S. Senate election in Missouri.

Background

In 2006, Claire McCaskill was elected with 49.6% of the vote, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Jim Talent.

Democratic primary

Incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election.

Candidates

Nominee

Claire McCaskill, incumbent U.S. Senator^[1]^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claire McCaskill (incumbent)	289,481	100.00
Total votes			289,481	100.00

Republican primary

The Republican primary election for the United States Senate in Missouri, held on August 7, 2012, was one of the three most anticipated of summer 2012. This was due to the projected closeness of the Federal races in Missouri in November 2012, and the potential to change the control of the Senate in January 2013.^[4] Democrats believed that Todd Akin would be the weakest among the likely challengers for the Senate seat, and ads attacking him as "too conservative" were largely viewed as a veiled support for his nomination.^[5]^[6]^[7] In McCaskill's memoir, she revealed that she also influenced the Akin campaign by providing polling information, which some election law experts later felt would be a violation of regulations against coordination.^[8]

Candidates

Nominee

Todd Akin, U.S. Representative^[9]

Eliminated in primary

Jerry Beck^[10]
John Brunner, businessman^[11]^[12]
Mark Lodes^[10]
Hector Maldonado^[10]
Mark Memoly, author and businessman^[10]
Robert Poole^[10]
Sarah Steelman, former State Treasurer, former state senator and candidate for governor in 2008^[13]

Declined

Jo Ann Emerson, U.S. Representative^[14]
Sam Graves, U.S. Representative^[15]
Peter Kinder, Lieutenant Governor (running for reelection)^[16]
Blaine Luetkemeyer, U.S. Representative^[17]
Ed Martin, attorney (running for Missouri Attorney General)^[18]
Tom Schweich, State Auditor^[19]
Jim Talent, former U.S. Senator^[20]
Ann Wagner, former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg and former Missouri Republican Party chairwoman (running for Congress)^[21]^[22]^[23]

Endorsements

Todd Akin

Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas and 2008 presidential candidate^[24]^[25]
Congressman Jeb Hensarling, Vice Chair of Committee on Financial Services (R-TX)^[24]^[25]
Congressman Jim Jordan, Chair of Republican Study Committee (R-OH)^[24]^[25]
Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX)^[25]
Congressman Steve King (R-IA)^[25]
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, 2012 presidential candidate (R-MN)^[25]
State Representative Kurt Bahr^[25]
Phyllis Schlafly, President of Eagle Forum^[24]

John Brunner

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (Oklahoma)^[24]
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (Wisconsin)^[24]
FreedomWorks
United States Chamber of Commerce
Missouri Soybean Association
John Deere
August Busch III, former Chairman of Anheuser-Busch
Missouri Pork Association

Sarah Steelman

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin^[26]
U.S. Senator Mike Lee (Utah)^[24]
Tea Party Express^[27]
Susan B. Anthony List^[28]
Jane Cunningham, state senator^[29]
Steven Tilley, Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives
Rep. Jay Barnes (Jefferson City)
Rep. T.J. Berry (Kearney)
Rep. Eric Burlison (Springfield)
Rep. Steve Cookson (Fairdealing)
Rep. Sandy Crawford (Buffalo)
Rep. David Day (Dixon)
Rep. Charlie Denison (Springfield)
Rep. Tonny Dugger (Hartfield)
Rep. Kevin Elmer (Nixa)
Rep. Paul Fitzwater (Potosi)
Rep. Diane Franklin (Camdenton)
Rep. Ward Franz (West Plains)
Rep. Keith Frederick (Rolla)
Rep. Jeff Grisamore (Lee's Summit)
Rep. Casey Guernsey (Bethany)
Rep. Kent Hampton (Malden)
Rep. Galen Higdon (St. Joseph)
Rep. Dave Hinson (St. Clair)
Rep. Denny Hoskins (Warrensburg)
Rep. Lincoln Hough (Springfield)
Rep. Caleb Jones (California)
Rep. Delus Johnson (St. Joseph)
Rep. Shelley Keeney (Marble Hill)
Rep. Mike Lair (Chillicothe)
Rep. Bill Lant (Joplin)
Rep. Scott Largent (Clinton)
Rep. Mike Leara (St. Louis)
Rep. Donna Lichtenegger (Jackson)
Rep. Tom Loehner (Koeltztown)
Rep. Thomas Long (Battlefield)
Rep. Mike McGhee (Odessa)
Rep. Chris Molendorp (Belton)
Rep. Myron Neth (Liberty)
Rep. Don Phillips (Kimberling City)
Rep. Darrell Pollock (Lebanon)
Rep. Craig Redmon (Canton)
Rep. Lyle Rowland (Cedar Creek)
Rep. Don Ruzicka (Mount Vernon)
Rep. Jason Smith (Salem)
Rep. Sheila Solon (Blue Springs)
Rep. Mike Thomson (Maryville)
Rep. Steven Tilley (Perryville)
Rep. Noel Torpey (Independence)
Rep. Don Wells (Cabool)
Rep. Ray Weter (Nixa)
Rep. Billy Pat Wright (Dexter)
Rep. Anne Zerr (St. Charles)^[30]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Todd Akin	John Brunner	Sarah Steelman	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	September 9–12, 2011	400	±4.9%	29%	6%	40%	26%
Public Policy Polling	January 27–29, 2012	574	±4.1%	23%	18%	32%	28%
Public Policy Polling	May 24–27, 2012	430	±4.7%	23%	25%	28%	20%
Mason-Dixon	July 23–25, 2012	400	±5.0%	17%	33%	27%	19%
Public Policy Polling	August 4–5, 2012	590	±4.0%	30%	35%	25%	8%

Results

Republican primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Todd Akin	217,404	36.05
	Republican	John Brunner	180,788	29.98
	Republican	Sarah Steelman	176,127	29.20
	Republican	Jerry Beck	9,801	1.62
	Republican	Hector Maldonado	7,410	1.23
	Republican	Robert Poole	6,100	1.01
	Republican	Mark Memoly	3,205	0.53
	Republican	Mark Lodes	2,285	0.38
Total votes			603,120	100.00

Libertarian primary

Jonathan Dine ran unopposed in the Libertarian primary election.

Candidates

Jonathan Dine, personal trainer and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010

Results

Libertarian primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Jonathan Dine	2,470	100.00
Total votes			2,470	100.00

General election

Candidates

Claire McCaskill (Democratic), incumbent U.S. Senator
Todd Akin (Republican), U.S. Representative
Jonathan Dine (Libertarian), personal trainer^[10]

Debates

The first debate was held on September 21 in Columbia, Missouri and was sponsored by the Missouri Press Association.^[31] Topics discussed by the three candidates included the Affordable Care Act, the future of the U.S. Postal Service, the rapid rise of college tuition, and Representative Akin's controversial comments on rape.^[32]

The second and final debate was held October 18 in St. Louis. It was sponsored by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce and hosted by television station KSDK, public radio station KWMU and the St. Louis Business Journal.^[33]

External links

Complete video of debate, September 21, 2012 - C-SPAN
Complete video of debate, October 18, 2012 - C-SPAN

Rape and pregnancy controversy

While making remarks on rape and abortion on August 19, 2012, Akin made the claim that women victims of what he described as "legitimate rape" rarely experience pregnancy from rape. In an interview aired on St. Louis television station KTVI-TV, Akin was asked his views on whether women who became pregnant due to rape should have the option of abortion. He replied:

Well you know, people always want to try to make that as one of those things, well how do you, how do you slice this particularly tough sort of ethical question. First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.^[34]

The comments from Akin almost immediately led to an uproar, with the term "legitimate rape" being taken to imply belief in a view that some kinds of rape are "legitimate", or, alternatively, that victims who do become pregnant from rape are likely to be lying about their claims. His claims about the likelihood of pregnancy resulting from rape were widely seen as being based on long-discredited pseudoscience, with experts seeing the claims as lacking medical validity.^[35]^[36]^[37] Akin was not the first to make such claims, but was perhaps one of the most prominent.^[38] While some voices such as Iowa congressman Steve King supported Akin,^[39] senior figures in both parties condemned his remarks and some Republicans called for him to resign.^[40]^[41]^[42] In the resulting furor, Akin received widespread calls to drop out of his Senate race from both Republicans and Democrats.^[43] Akin apologized after making the comment, saying he "misspoke", and he stated he planned to remain in the Senate race. This response was itself attacked by many commentators who saw the initial comments as representative of his long-held views, rather than an accidental gaffe.

The comment was widely characterized as misogynistic and recklessly inaccurate, with many commentators remarking on the use of the words "legitimate rape".^[44]^[45]^[46] Related news articles cited a 1996 article in an obstetrics and gynecology journal, which found that 5% of women who were raped became pregnant, which equaled about 32,000 pregnancies each year in the US alone.^[47] A separate 2003 article in the journal Human Nature estimated that rapes are twice as likely to result in pregnancies as consensual sex.^[48] (See also pregnancy from rape.)

The incident was seen as having an impact upon the Republicans' chances of gaining a majority in the U.S. Senate^[49] by making news in the week before the 2012 Republican National Convention and by "shift[ing] the national discussion to divisive social issues that could repel swing voters rather than economic issues that could attract them" to the Republican Party.^[50] Akin, along with other Republican candidates with controversial positions on rape, lost due to backlash from women voters.^[51]

Other controversies

On October 20, at a fundraiser, Akin compared McCaskill to a dog. After being criticized, Akin's campaign aide wrote on his official Twitter page that if Claire McCaskill "were a dog, she’d be a ‘Bullshitsu.’" The aide later said that he was joking.^[52] Akin was caught on tape commenting that "Sen. Claire McCaskill goes to Washington, D.C., to ‘fetch' higher taxes and regulations."^[53]

Fundraising

Candidate (party)	Receipts	Disbursements	Cash on hand	Debt
Claire McCaskill (D)	$10,250,644	$7,689,961	$3,465,846	$0
Todd Akin (R)	$2,229,189	$2,229,754	$531,559	$0
Source: Federal Election Commission^[54]^[55]

Top contributors

Claire McCaskill	Contribution	Todd Akin	Contribution
EMILY's List	$261,390	Emerson	$41,700
Simmons Cooper LLC	$83,225	Crawford Group	$32,750
Express Scripts	$81,358	Edward Jones Investments	$23,000
Bryan Cave LLP	$79,245	American Pulverizer Co	$20,000
Husch Blackwell	$70,525	Murray Energy	$18,605
Washington University in St. Louis	$56,510	Essex Industries	$18,000
Hallmark Cards	$52,000	General Dynamics	$18,000
Boeing	$50,500	Washington University in St. Louis	$17,000
Crawford Group	$47,050	Boeing	$15,700
Polsinelli Shughart PC	$45,250	Patriot Machine	$15,000
Source: OpenSecrets^[56]

Top industries

Claire McCaskill	Contribution	Todd Akin	Contribution
Lawyers/Law Firms	$1,929,339	Retired	$234,936
Retired	$626,456	Leadership PACs	$126,340
Women's Issues	$556,681	Health Professionals	$120,050
Entertainment industry	$346,715	Defense Contractors	$118,900
Financial Institutions	$344,960	Manufacturing & Distributing	$95,641
Leadership PACs	$335,500	Mining	$65,880
Lobbyists	$279,883	Automotive	$65,790
Real Estate	$266,844	Republican/Conservative	$64,125
Business Services	$232,175	Electronics manufacturing services	$42,350
Health Services/HMOs	$210,533	Financial Institutions	$42,250
Source: OpenSecrets^[57]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[58]	Likely D	November 1, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[59]	Lean D	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg Political Report^[60]	Likely D	November 2, 2012
Real Clear Politics^[61]	Lean D	November 5, 2012

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Todd Akin (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 3–6, 2011	612	±4.0%	45%	44%	—	11%
Public Policy Polling	April 28 – May 1, 2011	555	±3.9%	46%	45%	—	8%
Public Policy Polling	September 9–12, 2011	632	±3.9%	45%	43%	—	12%
Rasmussen Reports	November 9, 2011	500	±4.5%	47%	45%	5%	3%
Public Policy Polling	January 27–29, 2012	582	±4.1%	43%	43%	—	14%
Rasmussen Reports	March 14–15, 2012	500	±4.5%	43%	50%	4%	4%
Rasmussen Reports	April 17, 2012	500	±4.5%	43%	48%	2%	7%
Public Policy Polling	May 24–27, 2012	602	±4.0%	44%	45%	—	11%
Rasmussen Reports	June 7, 2012	500	±4.5%	42%	50%	2%	7%
Mason-Dixon	July 23–25, 2012	625	±4.0%	44%	49%	—	7%
Rasmussen Reports	July 30, 2012	500	±4.5%	44%	47%	4%	5%
Chilenski Strategies/Missouri Scout	August 8, 2012	663	±3.8%	47%	48%	—	6%
Survey USA	August 9–12, 2012	585	±4.1%	40%	51%	4%	5%
Public Policy Polling	August 20, 2012	500	±4.4%	43%	44%	—	13%
Rasmussen Reports	August 22, 2012	500	±4.5%	48%	38%	9%	5%
Mason-Dixon	August 22–23, 2012	625	±4.0%	50%	41%	—	9%
Wenzel Strategies	August 27–28, 2012	829	±3.3%	42%	45%	—	13%
Public Policy Polling	August 28–29, 2012	621	±3.9%	45%	44%	—	11%
Rasmussen Reports	September 11, 2012	500	±4.5%	49%	43%	4%	4%
Wenzel Strategies	September 10–11, 2012	850	±3.3%	43%	48%	—	10%
Gravis Marketing	September 15–16, 2012	1,959	±2.3%	42%	44%	—	16%
We Ask America	September 25–27, 2012	1,145	±2.9%	46%	45%	—	9%
Kiley & Company	September 30, 2012	600	±3.5%	50%	41%	2%	7%
Public Policy Polling	October 1–3, 2012	700	±3.7%	46%	40%	9%	5%
Rasmussen Reports	October 3, 2012	500	±4.5%	51%	45%	1%	3%
Wenzel Strategies	October 12–13, 2012	1,000	±3.7%	45%	49%	—	7%
Rasmussen Reports	October 19, 2012	500	±4.5%	51%	43%	3%	3%
Public Policy Polling	October 19–21, 2012	582	±4.1%	46%	40%	6%	8%
Mason-Dixon	October 23–25, 2012	625	±4%	45%	43%	—	8%
WeAskAmerica	October 30, 2012	1,217	±2.9%	49%	45%	6%	—
SurveyUSA	October 28 – November 3, 2012	589	±4.1%	51%	36%	8%	5%
Public Policy Polling	November 2–3, 2012	835	±3.4%	48%	44%	6%	2%

Hypothetical polling

Republican primary

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Todd Akin	John Brunner	Blaine Luetkemeyer	Ed Martin	Sarah Steelman	Other/ Undecided
Public Policy Polling	April 28 – May 1, 2011	400	±4.9%	23%	4%	18%	6%	27%	23%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Todd Akin	John Brunner	Ed Martin	Sarah Steelman	Other/ Undecided
Public Policy Polling	April 28 – May 1, 2011	400	±4.9%	29%	6%	9%	28%	28%

General election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	John Brunner (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	April 28 – May 1, 2011	555	±3.9%	47%	41%	—	12%
Public Policy Polling	September 9–12, 2011	632	±3.9%	46%	37%	—	17%
Public Policy Polling	January 27–29, 2012	582	±4.1%	43%	43%	–	14%
Rasmussen Reports	March 14–15, 2012	500	±4.5%	42%	49%	4%	6%
Rasmussen Reports	April 17, 2012	500	±4.5%	45%	45%	3%	7%
Public Policy Polling	May 24–27, 2012	602	±4.0%	46%	44%	—	11%
Rasmussen Reports	June 7, 2012	500	±4.5%	41%	51%	2%	6%
Mason-Dixon	July 23–25, 2012	625	±4.0%	41%	52%	—	7%
Rasmussen Reports	July 30, 2012	500	±4.5%	43%	49%	5%	3%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Peter Kinder (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	November 29 – December 1, 2010	515	±4.3%	44%	46%	—	10%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Blaine Luetkemeyer (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	April 28 – May 1, 2011	555	±3.9%	45%	42%	—	13%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Ed Martin (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 3–6, 2011	612	±4.0%	46%	40%	—	14%
Public Policy Polling	April 28 – May 1, 2011	555	±3.9%	46%	39%	—	15%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Tom Schweich (R)	Other	Undecided
Rasmussen Reports	March 14–15, 2012	500	±4.5%	43%	47%	4%	6%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Sarah Steelman (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	November 29 – December 1, 2010	515	±4.3%	45%	44%	—	12%
Public Policy Polling	March 3–6, 2011	612	±4.0%	45%	42%	—	14%
Public Policy Polling	April 28 – May 1, 2011	555	±3.9%	45%	42%	—	14%
Public Policy Polling	September 9–12, 2011	632	±3.9%	43%	42%	—	16%
Rasmussen Reports	November 9, 2011	500	±4.5%	45%	47%	3%	4%
Public Policy Polling	January 27–29, 2012	582	±4.1%	43%	44%	–	13%
Rasmussen Reports	March 14–15, 2012	500	±4.5%	41%	51%	4%	4%
Rasmussen Reports	April 17, 2012	500	±4.5%	42%	49%	2%	6%
Public Policy Polling	May 24–27, 2012	602	±4.0%	44%	44%	—	12%
Rasmussen Reports	June 7, 2012	500	±4.5%	39%	51%	3%	7%
Mason-Dixon	July 23–25, 2012	625	±4.0%	41%	49%	—	10%
Rasmussen Reports	July 30, 2012	500	±4.5%	43%	49%	4%	4%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Jim Talent (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	November 29 – December 1, 2010	515	±4.3%	45%	47%	—	8%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Claire McCaskill (D)	Ann Wagner (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 3–6, 2011	612	±4.0%	45%	36%	—	19%

Results

Even though the last poll before the election showed Akin only losing by four percentage points, McCaskill defeated him handily, by a 15.7% margin of victory and a vote margin of 427,966. Both McCaskill and incumbent governor Jay Nixon, running at the same time, were able to get a large number of votes from rural parts of the state, something President Barack Obama was not able to do. McCaskill and Nixon were declared the winners of their respective races even before results from the known big Democratic strongholds of St. Louis and Kansas City came in. Akin conceded defeat to McCaskill at 10:38 P.M. Central Time.

Time featured the race in an article on the Senate. The article mentioned that McCaskill had been fading in pre-election polls, and that she was considered the most vulnerable/endangered Democratic incumbent in 2012. However, Akin's controversial comments helped McCaskill rise in the polls and propelled her to a victory in the election.^[63]^[64]^[65] In August 2015, McCaskill penned a Politico article in which she stated that in 2012, she had "successfully manipulated the Republican primary so that in the general election [she] would face the candidate [she] was most likely to beat."^[66]

United States Senate election in Missouri, 2012^[62]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Claire McCaskill (incumbent)	1,494,125	54.81%	+5.36%
	Republican	Todd Akin	1,066,159	39.11%	-8.20%
	Libertarian	Jonathan Dine	165,468	6.07%	+3.83%
	Write-in		41	0.01%	+0.01%
Total votes			2,725,793	100.00%	N/A
	Democratic hold

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Andrew (Largest city: Savannah)
Audrain (Largest city: Mexico)
Worth (Largest city: Grant City)
Chariton (Largest city: Salisbury)
Livingston (Largest city: Chillicothe)
Bates (Largest city: Butler)
Gentry (Largest city: Albany)
Nodaway (Largest city: Maryville)
Lafayette (Largest city: Odessa)
Pettis (Largest city: Sedalia)
Sullivan (Largest city: Milan)
Clark (Largest city: Kahoka)
Cass (Largest city: Harrisonville)
Daviess (Largest city: Gallatin)
Knox (Largest city: Edina)
Lewis (Largest city: Canton)
Grundy (Largest city: Trenton)
Johnson (largest city: Warrensburg)
Howard (Largest city: Fayette)
Schuyler (Largest city: Lancaster)
Scotland (Largest city: Memphis)
Dunklin (Largest city: Kennett)
Madison (Largest city: Fredericktown)
Pulaski (Largest city: Fort Leonard Wood)
Greene (Largest city: Springfield)
Franklin (Largest city: Washington)
St. Louis (Largest city: Florissant)
Wayne (Largest city: Piedmont)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Carroll (Largest city: Carrollton)
Oregon (Largest city: Thayer)

By congressional district

McCaskill won 6 of 8 congressional districts, four of which were won by Republicans, including Akin's own district.^[67]

District	McCaskill	Akin	Representative
1st	86.93%	13.22%	Lacy Clay
2nd	51.97%	42.77%	Todd Akin (112th Congress)
2nd	51.97%	42.77%	Ann Wagner (113th Congress)
3rd	47.02%	46.49%	Russ Carnahan (112th Congress)
3rd	47.02%	46.49%	Blaine Luetkemeyer (113th Congress)
4th	48.65%	43.28%	Vicky Hartzler
5th	66.48%	27.61%	Emanuel Cleaver
6th	50.72%	41.98%	Sam Graves
7th	41.77%	51.1%	Billy Long
8th	46.3%	47.76%	Jo Ann Emerson

References

^ Quinn, Kay (November 24, 2010). "Senator Claire McCaskill says Washington more polarized, voters more cynical". KSDK-TV. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
^ Lambrecht, Bill (December 23, 2010). "McCaskill: "I will have to work very hard" to get re-elected". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c "State of Missouri - Primary Election - August 7, 2012". MO Secretary of State. August 8, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
^ Aaron Blake; Sean Sullivan (August 7, 2012). "Primary day: Five things watch for in Missouri, Michigan and Washington". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
^ Schultheis, Emily (August 3, 2012). "McCaskill ad calls Akin 'too conservative' for Missouri". Politico. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
^ "McCaskill meddles in GOP primary". POLITICO. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
^ McDermott, Kevin; Pistor, Nicholas J.C. (August 2012). "Is Claire McCaskill helping Todd Akin in the GOP primary?". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
^ Helling, Dave (August 12, 2015). "McCaskill-Akin tale raising questions in legal, political communities". Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
^ Miller, Sean (May 17, 2011). "Rep. Akin joins Missouri Senate race, setting up primary fight". The Hill. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Williams, Kari (May 23, 2012). "Business perspective needed in Washington, Brunner says". Call Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
^ Wagman, Jake (October 3, 2011). "Frontenac Republican joins Senate race, aims to unseat McCaskill". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Miller, Joshua (October 3, 2011). "Brunner Enters Missouri Senate Race". Roll Call. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Catanese, David (December 1, 2010). "Inaugural scoop: Steelman files for Senate". Politico. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
^ Catanese, David (February 22, 2011). "Emerson to pass on Senate bid". Politico. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
^ Wagman, Jake (February 3, 2011). "Sam Graves says no to running for U.S. Senate". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
^ Catanese, David (November 18, 2011). "Kinder endorses Dave Spence". Politico. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Miller, Joshua (May 13, 2011). "Luetkemeyer Will Not Seek Missouri Senate Bid". Roll Call. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
^ D'Aprile, Shane (May 9, 2011). "Missouri Republican Ed Martin shifts to House race instead of Senate bid". The Hill. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
^ Trygstad, Kyle (March 20, 2012). "Missouri: No Senate Bid for Tom Schweich". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Lambrecht, Bill (January 27, 2011). "Talent says no to Missouri Senate bid". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^ Miller, Joshua (April 26, 2011). "Wagner Moves Toward Bid for Akin's Seat in Missouri". Roll Call. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Wagman, Jake (April 26, 2011). "Ann Wagner moves toward Congressional run". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Miller, Joshua (October 25, 2011). "Ann Wagner Definitively Rules Out Senate Bid". Roll Call. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Livingston, Abby (March 29, 2012). "Conservative Senators Pick Sides in Texas, Missouri and Maine Primaries". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Todd Akin's Latest Endorsements | Todd Akin for U.S. Senate 2012 | Missouri". Akin.org. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ "Governor Palin Endorses Sarah Steelman in Republican Senate Primary". Sarahsteelman.com. July 17, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ "2012 Endorsements". Tea Party Express. January 27, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ "Sarah Steelman - Missouri Senate - SBA-List". Retrieved November 3, 2018.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Yokley, Eli (July 20, 2012). "Cunningham backs Steelman Senate bid". Politicmo.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ "Leaders All Across Missouri and America are Supporting Sarah Steelman for U.S. Senate!". Sarah Steelman. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Held, Kevin. "Missouri gubernatorial, U.S. Senate debates this Friday in Columbia". Associated Press. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
^ Palosaari, Ben. "The best jabs of the Missouri Senate debate". Pitch News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
^ "Mo. Senate candidates to debate in St. Louis area". Associated Press. Retrieved October 4, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Jaco, Charles (August 19, 2012). "The Jaco Report: August 19, 2012". Fox News. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ "A Canard That Will Not Die: 'Legitimate Rape' Doesn't Cause Pregnancy". The Atlantic. August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Graham, David A. (August 22, 2012). "Video of the Day: 'Forcible Rape' and Paul Ryan's Akin Problem". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
^ Belluck, Pam (August 21, 2012). "Health Experts Dismiss Assertions on Rape". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
^ Kliff, Sarah (August 20, 2012). "Rep. Todd Akin is wrong about rape and pregnancy, but he's not alone". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
^ "Rep. Steve King backs up Todd Akin, weighs in on rape and abortion". CBS News. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
^ "Leading social conservatives rally to Akin's defense". CNN. August 20, 2012. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
^ Seung Min Kim (August 21, 2012). "List of senators calling on Akin to quit keeps growing". Politico. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
^ Costa, Robert. "Romney: Akin's Comment 'Inexcusable'".
^ Killough, Ashley (August 20, 2012). "GOP chair: Akin should drop out, skip convention". CNN. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
^ DiSalvo, David. "Republican Senate Nominee Todd Akin: Victims Of "Legitimate Rape" Don't Get Pregnant". Forbes. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Abouhalkah, Yael T. "Todd Akin's rape fantasy". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Eligon, John (August 19, 2012). "Senate Candidate Provokes Ire With 'Legitimate Rape' Comment". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Holmes, Melisa M.; Resnick, Heidi S.; Kilpatrick, Dean G.; Best, Connie L. (1996). "Rape-related pregnancy: Estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women". American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 175 (2): 320–4, discussion 324–5. doi:10.1016/S0002-9378(96)70141-2. PMID 8765248. Cited in: Blake, Aaron. "Todd Akin, GOP Senate candidate: 'Legitimate rape' rarely causes pregnancy". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
^ Gottschall, Jonathan A.; Gottschall, Tiffani A. (2003). "Are per-incident rape-pregnancy rates higher than per-incident consensual pregnancy rates?". Human Nature. 14 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1007/s12110-003-1014-0. PMID 26189986. S2CID 20886610. Cited in: Robillard, Kevin (August 20, 2012). "Doctors: Todd Akin pregnancy claim bogus". Politico. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
^ Akin Vows to Stay in Race After "Legitimate Rape" Gaffe, NBC 10 Philadelphia, Scott Ross, August 20, 2012
^ Akin imbroglio is bad news for Republicans Tom Cohen, CNN updated 3:23 PM EDT, Wed August 22, 2012
^ Haberkorn, Jennifer (November 6, 2012). "Abortion, rape controversy shaped key races". Politico.
^ Kraske, Steve (October 22, 2012). "Akin aide adds profanity to 'dog' characterization of McCaskill". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
^ "Akin likens McCaskill to a dog". POLITICO. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
^ "Campaign Finances". Retrieved November 3, 2018.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Campaign Finances". Retrieved November 3, 2018.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Top Contributors 2012 Race: Missouri Senate". OpenSecrets.
^ "Top Industries 2012 Race: Missouri Senate". OpenSecrets.
^ "2012 Senate Race Ratings for November 1, 2012". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
^ "2012 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
^ "2012 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
^ "2012 Elections Map - Battle for the Senate 2012". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
^ "State of Missouri - State of Missouri - General Election, November 06, 2012". Retrieved January 1, 2018.
^ "The Senate – Much Fury, Little Change", Time, p. 18, November 19, 2012
^ Hughes, Siobhan (November 6, 2012). "Claire McCaskill Defeats Todd Akin to Win Missouri Senate Seat". Wall Street Journal.
^ Eligon, John (November 7, 2012). "Turnaround in Missouri as Incumbent Keeps Seat". The New York Times.
^ McCaskill, Claire (August 11, 2015). "How I Helped Todd Akin Win — So I Could Beat Him Later". Politico. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
^ "Our Campaigns".

External links

Elections from the Missouri Secretary of State
Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation
Candidate issue positions at On the Issues
United States Senate elections in Missouri, 2012 at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites

[1] Quinn, Kay (November 24, 2010). "Senator Claire McCaskill says Washington more polarized, voters more cynical". KSDK-TV. Retrieved November 24, 2010.

[2] Lambrecht, Bill (December 23, 2010). "McCaskill: "I will have to work very hard" to get re-elected". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 23, 2010.

[election-3] "State of Missouri - Primary Election - August 7, 2012". MO Secretary of State. August 8, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2018.

[4] Aaron Blake; Sean Sullivan (August 7, 2012). "Primary day: Five things watch for in Missouri, Michigan and Washington". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2012.

[5] Schultheis, Emily (August 3, 2012). "McCaskill ad calls Akin 'too conservative' for Missouri". Politico. Retrieved August 22, 2012.

[6] "McCaskill meddles in GOP primary". POLITICO. Retrieved June 4, 2018.

[7] McDermott, Kevin; Pistor, Nicholas J.C. (August 2012). "Is Claire McCaskill helping Todd Akin in the GOP primary?". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved November 3, 2018.

[8] Helling, Dave (August 12, 2015). "McCaskill-Akin tale raising questions in legal, political communities". Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 10, 2024.

[9] Miller, Sean (May 17, 2011). "Rep. Akin joins Missouri Senate race, setting up primary fight". The Hill. Retrieved May 17, 2011.

[call-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Williams, Kari (May 23, 2012). "Business perspective needed in Washington, Brunner says". Call Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.

[11] Wagman, Jake (October 3, 2011). "Frontenac Republican joins Senate race, aims to unseat McCaskill". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[12] Miller, Joshua (October 3, 2011). "Brunner Enters Missouri Senate Race". Roll Call. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[13] Catanese, David (December 1, 2010). "Inaugural scoop: Steelman files for Senate". Politico. Retrieved December 1, 2010.

[14] Catanese, David (February 22, 2011). "Emerson to pass on Senate bid". Politico. Retrieved February 23, 2011.

[15] Wagman, Jake (February 3, 2011). "Sam Graves says no to running for U.S. Senate". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 3, 2011.

[16] Catanese, David (November 18, 2011). "Kinder endorses Dave Spence". Politico. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[17] Miller, Joshua (May 13, 2011). "Luetkemeyer Will Not Seek Missouri Senate Bid". Roll Call. Retrieved May 13, 2011.

[18] D'Aprile, Shane (May 9, 2011). "Missouri Republican Ed Martin shifts to House race instead of Senate bid". The Hill. Retrieved May 9, 2011.

[19] Trygstad, Kyle (March 20, 2012). "Missouri: No Senate Bid for Tom Schweich". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[20] Lambrecht, Bill (January 27, 2011). "Talent says no to Missouri Senate bid". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved January 27, 2011.

[21] Miller, Joshua (April 26, 2011). "Wagner Moves Toward Bid for Akin's Seat in Missouri". Roll Call. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[22] Wagman, Jake (April 26, 2011). "Ann Wagner moves toward Congressional run". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[23] Miller, Joshua (October 25, 2011). "Ann Wagner Definitively Rules Out Senate Bid". Roll Call. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[endorse-24] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Livingston, Abby (March 29, 2012). "Conservative Senators Pick Sides in Texas, Missouri and Maine Primaries". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[akinendorsements-25] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Todd Akin's Latest Endorsements | Todd Akin for U.S. Senate 2012 | Missouri". Akin.org. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[26] "Governor Palin Endorses Sarah Steelman in Republican Senate Primary". Sarahsteelman.com. July 17, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[27] "2012 Endorsements". Tea Party Express. January 27, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[28] "Sarah Steelman - Missouri Senate - SBA-List". Retrieved November 3, 2018.^{[permanent dead link]}

[29] Yokley, Eli (July 20, 2012). "Cunningham backs Steelman Senate bid". Politicmo.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[30] "Leaders All Across Missouri and America are Supporting Sarah Steelman for U.S. Senate!". Sarah Steelman. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[31] Held, Kevin. "Missouri gubernatorial, U.S. Senate debates this Friday in Columbia". Associated Press. Retrieved October 4, 2012.

[32] Palosaari, Ben. "The best jabs of the Missouri Senate debate". Pitch News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.

[33] "Mo. Senate candidates to debate in St. Louis area". Associated Press. Retrieved October 4, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

[34] Jaco, Charles (August 19, 2012). "The Jaco Report: August 19, 2012". Fox News. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[canard-35] "A Canard That Will Not Die: 'Legitimate Rape' Doesn't Cause Pregnancy". The Atlantic. August 19, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

[pseudo-36] Graham, David A. (August 22, 2012). "Video of the Day: 'Forcible Rape' and Paul Ryan's Akin Problem". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 25, 2012.

[NYT-21-08-2012-37] Belluck, Pam (August 21, 2012). "Health Experts Dismiss Assertions on Rape". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

[Freind-38] Kliff, Sarah (August 20, 2012). "Rep. Todd Akin is wrong about rape and pregnancy, but he's not alone". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.

[39] "Rep. Steve King backs up Todd Akin, weighs in on rape and abortion". CBS News. Retrieved August 29, 2012.

[defense-40] "Leading social conservatives rally to Akin's defense". CNN. August 20, 2012. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

[resignation_demands-41] Seung Min Kim (August 21, 2012). "List of senators calling on Akin to quit keeps growing". Politico. Retrieved August 22, 2012.

[romney_1-42] Costa, Robert. "Romney: Akin's Comment 'Inexcusable'".

[GOP_chair-43] Killough, Ashley (August 20, 2012). "GOP chair: Akin should drop out, skip convention". CNN. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

[44] DiSalvo, David. "Republican Senate Nominee Todd Akin: Victims Of "Legitimate Rape" Don't Get Pregnant". Forbes. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[45] Abouhalkah, Yael T. "Todd Akin's rape fantasy". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[46] Eligon, John (August 19, 2012). "Senate Candidate Provokes Ire With 'Legitimate Rape' Comment". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[47] Holmes, Melisa M.; Resnick, Heidi S.; Kilpatrick, Dean G.; Best, Connie L. (1996). "Rape-related pregnancy: Estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women". American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 175 (2): 320–4, discussion 324–5. doi:10.1016/S0002-9378(96)70141-2. PMID 8765248. Cited in: Blake, Aaron. "Todd Akin, GOP Senate candidate: 'Legitimate rape' rarely causes pregnancy". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2012.

[48] Gottschall, Jonathan A.; Gottschall, Tiffani A. (2003). "Are per-incident rape-pregnancy rates higher than per-incident consensual pregnancy rates?". Human Nature. 14 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1007/s12110-003-1014-0. PMID 26189986. S2CID 20886610. Cited in: Robillard, Kevin (August 20, 2012). "Doctors: Todd Akin pregnancy claim bogus". Politico. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

[49] Akin Vows to Stay in Race After "Legitimate Rape" Gaffe, NBC 10 Philadelphia, Scott Ross, August 20, 2012

[cnn.com-50] Akin imbroglio is bad news for Republicans Tom Cohen, CNN updated 3:23 PM EDT, Wed August 22, 2012

[51] Haberkorn, Jennifer (November 6, 2012). "Abortion, rape controversy shaped key races". Politico.

[52] Kraske, Steve (October 22, 2012). "Akin aide adds profanity to 'dog' characterization of McCaskill". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 3, 2018.

[53] "Akin likens McCaskill to a dog". POLITICO. Retrieved June 4, 2018.

[54] "Campaign Finances". Retrieved November 3, 2018.^{[permanent dead link]}

[55] "Campaign Finances". Retrieved November 3, 2018.^{[permanent dead link]}

[56] "Top Contributors 2012 Race: Missouri Senate". OpenSecrets.

[57] "Top Industries 2012 Race: Missouri Senate". OpenSecrets.

[58] "2012 Senate Race Ratings for November 1, 2012". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.

[59] "2012 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 20, 2018.

[60] "2012 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.

[61] "2012 Elections Map - Battle for the Senate 2012". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 20, 2018.

[62] "State of Missouri - State of Missouri - General Election, November 06, 2012". Retrieved January 1, 2018.

[63] "The Senate – Much Fury, Little Change", Time, p. 18, November 19, 2012

[64] Hughes, Siobhan (November 6, 2012). "Claire McCaskill Defeats Todd Akin to Win Missouri Senate Seat". Wall Street Journal.

[65] Eligon, John (November 7, 2012). "Turnaround in Missouri as Incumbent Keeps Seat". The New York Times.

[66] McCaskill, Claire (August 11, 2015). "How I Helped Todd Akin Win — So I Could Beat Him Later". Politico. Retrieved August 1, 2018.

[67] "Our Campaigns".

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