Missouri’s two main US Senate hopefuls made pitches Friday to members of the Missouri Farm Bureau in Jefferson City. Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill and Republican challenger Todd Akin both won their parties’ respective nominations this week. McCaskill hammered Akin for opposing the federal Farm Bill this year and in years past. Akin defended his stance, saying the Farm Bill would have poured too much money into food stamps.
“[An] 80 percent increase, not just food stamps, but all those different entitlement programs, and that’s what bothers me about it. A couple of years back it was 60 percent; that bothered me. Seventy percent’s worse, 80 percent’s worse.”
Akin said he supports most of the farm portion of the Farm Bill and that perhaps it should be spun off into a separate bill. Farm Bureau members like what they heard and gave Akin their endorsement. They also endorsed fellow Republican Dave Spence for Missouri Governor over Democratic incumbent Jay Nixon.
