By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri Auditor Claire McCaskill is expected to announce today (Tuesday) that she'll run next year for U.S. Senate against Jim Talent.
She beat Governor Bob Holden in last year's Democratic primary for governor, but lost the general election to Matt Blunt. McCaskill's choice to run for Senate means skipping a chance for a third term as auditor.
A source told the Associated Press that an event planned for noon today in Houston, Mo. will be to announce the candidacy. Houston is home to a mill where her father once worked.
McCaskill won elections for auditor in 1998 and 2002.
Talent's campaign finance reports show him raising $3.9 million in the first half of this year. He was elected to his seat in 2002, after he defeated Jean Carnahan. The term Talent is finishing was originally won by the late Mel Carnahan in 2000. But because Carnahan's wife, Jean, was appointed to the seat, she had to run to keep the seat again in 2002.