Politics

Missouri’s GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin is facing a wave of criticism for comments he made during an interview about pregnancies caused by rape.

Akin is a six-term congressman and a Tea Party favorite challenging incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill.

Speaking during an interview on Fox2’s Jaco Report Akin was asked if he would support abortion in cases when a woman was raped.

Akin replied that pregnancies caused by rape are rare and that women have some kind of biological defense to prevent pregnancy in these situations.

A Cole County judge heard arguments Friday on whether to issue a temporary restraining order against Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D).

Carnahan and Republican leaders are sparring over the language used in a ballot initiative regarding health care exchanges.  Lt. Governor Peter Kinder and GOP lawmakers accuse Carnahan of using misleading language in order to influence voters to defeat the ballot question in November.  Attorney Jay Kanzler represents the plaintiffs.

“Secretary of State Carnahan's language talking about denying families and individuals access to affordable health care frankly doesn’t even come close to describing, in fact, what the ballot initiative would do,” Kanzler said.

Every year, politicians descend on the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia to attend the Governor’s Ham Breakfast and woo voters, and almost every year someone says something controversial.

This year was no exception.

Second District U.S. Congressman Todd Akin, the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate, was talking with reporters about his opposition to spending hikes for food stamps and other programs in the federal Farm Bill when he was asked what he thought about school lunch programs.