McCaskill opponents campaign together for first time

JOPLIN, Mo. — It took six minutes. Six minutes to kick-off nearly 18 months of campaigning.

For the very first time during the 2012 race for the Republican nomination to take on U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D), opponents Sarah Steelman and Ed Martin spoke at the same event Saturday night in Joplin.

Both candidates took a portion of their allotted three minutes to blast their mutual opponent, Senator McCaskill. Steelman pointed out McCaskill voted for the Affordable Care Act “twice,” and Martin said the race is against the “ObamaClaire” agenda.

But it was Martin who sparked the first and only criticism of the night. “If you want a candidate for the United States Senate who will … support tort reform every time, and never back down, take on the public sector unions, and never down…then I’d like to earn your vote,” he said, taking an indirect shot at Steelman by highlighting similar issues previously pointed out by anonymous Twitter and email accounts saying Steelman had been endorsed in the past by SEIU, and received campaign contributions in the past from trial attorneys.

A Steelman supporter told POLITICMO Saturday evening, “Sarah Steelman has a record of voting against public sector unions and against public employee bargaining. Check her voting record.”

In her remarks, Steelman focused on freedom, and called for a new focus on domestic oil drilling in lieu of “regulating fat content in food.”

Saturday night stood in stark contrast to the GOP race for the 2010 nomination. When Roy Blunt was a candidate for the nomination, he hardly ever had competition at campaign stops. But at their first appearance, Martin and Steelman competed for the spotlight.

In the dinner line, Steelman and Martin (as well as Senator Blunt and Congressman Billy Long) shook hands with some 300 dinner attendees, causing nearly a 45 minute delay in remarks. At the end of the event, Steelman mingled and posed for photos with supporters, while Martin stood at the exit and shook individual hands as they left.

Congressman Billy Long called on the attendees to be engaged going in to 2012. “Promise me you’d redouble your efforts,” he said, pointing to the importance for Republicans to take over the Senate and the White House.

Long and Blunt, who both voted for repeal of the health care law, blasted it in their remarks. Senator Blunt took the opportunity to go after Senator Claire McCaskill.

“She was on the other side,” he said. “And she’ll be on the other side on everything else, too.”

Lt. Governor Peter Kinder was also in attendance. Though he never mentioned the gubernatorial race during his remarks, State Senator Ron Richard (R-Joplin) and Senator Blunt both referred to him as the “next Governor.” Prior to his remarks, Kinder told a small group of Republicans attending that he will be announcing soon. [VIDEO: Kinder's Remarks Part 1, Part 2]

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