P-D reporter, Tim O'Neil said:
"...With 3,031 of 3,428 Missouri precints reporting, Akin has 206,281 votes, or 36 percent; followed by 168,629 for businessman John G. Brunner of Frontenac, at 30 percent; and former state treasurer Sarah Steelman of Rolla at 29 percent with 164,173 votes...Akin will challenge Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat who is seeking a second term, in the Nov. 6 general election..."The Akin campaign issued this statement tonight:
"...[W]ith the reporting almost complete, Todd Akin has been declared the winner of the Missouri Republican Senate primary. The following are his acceptance remarks:
'First, I want to give thanks to God our Creator who has blessed this campaign, heard your prayers, and answered them with victory. Through the months, we have seen frequent instances of His blessing and are reminded that with Him all things are possible!
'I also wanted to thank Governor Mike Huckabee, who was with us from the start, stayed by our side, lifted us up in prayer, and tonight celebrates with us in victory. Governor Huckabee – I thank you, my family thanks you, and our volunteers thank you for your dedication to our campaign and devotion to saving the America we love.
'From the depths of my heart I want to thank every single volunteer who served in our campaign and brought our winning message to the people of Missouri. Tonight one campaign ends…tomorrow another begins.
'Let me tell you exactly what the race for United States Senator for Missouri is all about. This campaign is about reclaiming our God-given values, rebuilding the American Dream, and restoring the America we love. This is our call. This is our vision. This is our message to the hard working people of Missouri.
'The choice is clear in November. The big spending, budget-busting, job-killing liberal or the less spending, balanced budget, job-creating conservative.
'Claire McCaskill voted for big government, big spending, and less liberty. I will vote for less government, less spending, and more liberty.
'Claire McCaskill was the deciding vote to pass Obamacare. I will be the deciding vote to repeal Obamacare.
'Claire McCaskill voted to cut and gut Medicare by $500 billion dollars, I will vote to protect, strengthen, and restore Medicare.
'Claire McCaskill voted to bust the budget with Obama’s stimulus spending, I will vote to balance the budget and pay down the debt.
'Claire McCaskill voted for job-killing red-tape regulation, I will vote to cut the red-tape and get Missourians back to work. The choice is clear. The time to reclaim our values, rebuild the American Dream, and restore the America we love is now. Join with me so our sons and daughters can have their turn at the American Dream.
'God bless you…God bless the people of Missouri…and God bless America.'...”Akin was considered the underdog, but came from behind to win the election. According to Julie Sobel of the National Journal's Hotline On Call:
"It's an upset win for Akin, who overcame millions of dollars being spent by Brunner, his leading opponent. He struggled to raise money and refrained from going negative on the airwaves, primarily touting his socially-conservative credentials. But his motivated base of socially-conservative supporters prevailed over Brunner's money and Sarah Palin's enthusiastic endorsement of Steelman."Sobel says the Akin win is "welcome news for McCaskill." Akin will be facing Democrat Claire McCaskill in the general election. Sobel:
"...It's an upset win for Akin, who overcame millions of dollars being spent by Brunner, his leading opponent. He struggled to raise money and refrained from going negative on the airwaves, primarily touting his socially-conservative credentials. But his motivated base of socially-conservative supporters prevailed over Brunner's money and Sarah Palin's enthusiastic endorsement of Steelman...The result is welcome news for McCaskill, who aired ads subtly referencing Akin's conservatism in hopes of helping him win the nomination. Her efforts were supplemented by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Within minutes after the race was called, DSCC executive director Guy Cecil tagged Akin as a tea party-aligned Republican. Akin was one of the first House Republicans to join the Tea Party caucus in 2010...But despite getting her favored opponent, McCaskill nonetheless faces a difficult path to re-election in a Republican-leaning state. A Mason-Dixon poll conducted last month showed her trailing Akin, 49 to 44 percent..."
