Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill began this cycle as one of the GOP’s top targets. But on Tuesday night, she emerged victorious, defeating Republican Rep. Todd Akin to hold onto her Senate seat.
A Democrat with an upside down approval rating in a red leaning state, who was caught not paying taxes on her private plane last year, McCaskill seemed an obvious target for Republicans looking to pick up seats in the senate.
However, McCaskill got lucky drawing Todd Akin as an opponent.
Akin sparked off a firestorm in August when he said in a television interview that women who were victims of “legitimate rape” did not get pregnant because their bodies were able to shut down the normal biological functions under duress. Members of his own party called for him to resign the nomination; two major Republican groups – the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Crossroads – withdrew their resources from the race.
Later, Akin described his opponent as a “dog,” drawing further controversy.
“Tonight is a great night for the people of Missouri and families across the country,” said Sen. Patty Murray, Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “Claire McCaskill ran a phenomenal campaign. She stood up to Karl Rove and to the Tea Party and she defeated someone who could have done a lot of damage to this country. Claire knows her state better than anyone, and she fights night and day for the issues that they care most about. I was proud to support Claire every step of the way in this campaign, and I look forward to continuing to work with her in the US Senate.”
This will be McCaskill’s second term in the senate.