In the hotly contested Missouri Senate Race, incumbent Claire McCaskill beat back challenger Todd Akin. As Greg Jaffe reported :
Rep. Todd Akin, who had been favored to win the Senate seat in this Republican-leaning state before his statements on legitimate rape triggered widespread national scorn, conceded victory to Sen. Claire McCaskill. In his concession speech, Akin thanked God, who, he said, makes no mistakes.
Akin struck a combative, anti-Washington tone in the speech, calling for smaller government and excoriating the Obama administration for its handling of an attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya. He said it was inexcusable for the president to betray fellow Americans to terrorists when they could have been rescued. Senior Pentagon and CIA officials have said repeatedly that they did not have forces in place that could respond fast enough to halt the attack on the post in Benghazi.
It was an emotional win for McCaskill. As Diana Reese Betty Anne McCaskill died Oct. 29 at the age of 84.
After thanking her family, campaign workers and supporters, McCaskill said, Guess what, Mom, I think we finally won rural Missouri . She was referring to her past failure to garner support in Missouri s rural areas. Her elections have been won in Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia (home of the University of Missouri , where McCaskill earned her undergraduate and law degrees).
President
Romney won Missouri and its 10 electoral votes handily, capturing nearly 54 percent of the vote. In 2008, Missouri had the closest presidential election in the nation, with John McCain winning the state by less than 0.1 percent. But state voters had soured on Obama and had moved farther to the right.
Senate
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D), whose seat had been targeted by the GOP in its efforts to capture the Senate, defeated Rep. Todd Akin, her Republican challenger. Akin s campaign was derailed by controversial comments about legitimate rape rarely causing pregnancy. After disowning Akin following his remarks in August, the GOP resumed tacit support for the conservative congressman, who retained support among evangelicals and refused to exit the race. McCaskill, who won election to the Senate in 2006 and cast herself as a reformer, had appeared vulnerable for reelection.
Governor
Gov. Jay Nixon defeated Republican challenger, businessman Dave Spence, becoming the first Missouri governor to win reelection in 16 years. Nixon had retained a sizeable lead over his challenger for most of the campaign, though polls had shown the race had tightened some in recent weeks.
House
All incumbents including Republicans Vicky Hartzler, Jo Ann Emerson, Sam Graves and Blaine Luetkemeyer, and Democrats Lacy Clay and Emanuel Cleaver won reelection to the House, according to the AP. Because of redistricting following the 2010 census Missouri elected only 8 seats in the House, one fewer than in the past.
More from PostPolitics :
- For full coverage of Election Night breaking news, including reporting from swing states around the country, follow The Post s Election 2012 liveblog .
- election day map . Sort through the Senate, House, Gubernatorial, and Presidential election results.
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