McCaskill toured Missouri in final push
Published Nov. 8, 2006
More than 200 supporters met Senate candidate Claire McCaskill at a campaign stop at Sutton's BBQ in Columbia on Friday. McCaskill, who has spent the past several months campaigning against Republican incumbent Jim Talent, made one final push before Election Day.
McCaskill spoke to supporters about key election issues as part of her final Missouri tour before Tuesday's election.
McCaskill defeated incumbent Jim Talent with 49 percent of the vote, or roughly 20,000 votes. She declared victory at 12:53 a.m. Wednesday at a rally in St. Louis.
Her appearance in Columbia before the election started a 24-hour tour across Missouri that included diners, truck stops and restaurants, as well as a large rally on Sunday in St Louis with Sen. Barack Obama, a Democrat from Illinois.
"The man who owns and runs this restaurant has been an incredible supporter," said Adrienne Marsh, spokeswoman for the McCaskill campaign. "For many of the canvasses that go out and talk to voters, this is the central location that Democrats meet at. It's a great opportunity for us to meet here with someone who knows the area."
McCaskill, the state auditor, said Talent and other Republicans in Washington have played to corporate interests rather than those of ordinary people.
"They haven't been as good to the people who live in this neighborhood," she said. "This idea that they keep touting, that we have such great prosperity,
just shows how out of touch they are with the kind of people that live near here. They're struggling because their policies have all been geared toward the very, very wealthy."
McCaskill criticized Talent's unwillingness to disclose how he planned to vote regarding a ballot initiative in Missouri that passed and will increase the minimum wage to $6.50. McCaskill said she thinks he will not disclose his stance because Missouri voters do not agree with him.
"Sometimes, you've got to say where you stand even if its going to lose you votes," McCaskill said. "Sometimes, it's important that if you want to lead you've got to do it on principle."
Talent has criticized McCaskill for being inconsistent with her policy positions and for using her position to help family members and allies.
McCaskill focused her speech at the Columbia rally on the minimum wage — an issue attendees at the rally said they also believed was important.
"I also think that minimum wage is a big deal, and not so much for people my age, but in general," said Liana Presser, a Rock Bridge High School student at the rally. "As a society, it is not OK to be paying people $5 an hour. You can't live on that."
Following a vein McCaskill has used to criticize Talent, Presser said that there has been little use of checks and balances during the current administration.
"I also think that we really need her in Congress so that there are more checks and balances in Congress," Presser said. "I feel like it's very one-sided and anything the president wants gets pushed through."
McCaskill has campaigned on the idea that Republicans in Congress haven't done their duty.
"Checks and balances isn't about gotcha, it isn't about political advantages, it isn't about a blame game," McCaskill said. "Checks and balances is about doing whatever is necessary to make our government work."
Missouri House Minority Leader Jeff Harris, who also sought and won re-election, said he attended to support McCaskill.
"I'm here not even as an elected official," Harris, D-Columbia, said. "As an individual, it's time for a change in Washington. It's time for a senator who is going to be on our side. Someone who cares about people and not about special interests."