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Mo. Farm Bureau PAC reaffirms Akin endorsement

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-St. Louis) announces he will challenge Sen. Claire McCaskill for her seat in 2012 on May 17, 2011. Akin's campaign named a new consultant to their team today, Chris LaCivita.
(UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-St. Louis) announces he will challenge Sen. Claire McCaskill for her seat in 2012 on May 17, 2011. Akin's campaign named a new consultant to their team today, Chris LaCivita.

Will be updated.

The Missouri Farm Bureau political action committee announced that it's sticking by its endorsement of Congressman Todd Akin as he faces incumbent Claire McCaskill in the race for US Senate.

In a release to the media, FARM-PAC, made up of trustees from the farm bureaus in every Missouri county, say that they again "overwhelmingly" voted to support Akin.

“During the conference calls, some of our members brought up the statement made by Congressman Akin last month; however, they accepted his apology and reaffirmed this election is still about issues such as moving our country in a better direction, getting the federal deficit under control, eliminating needless government regulations and creating more jobs,” Blake Hurst, president of Missouri Farm Bureau said in the media release.

The reconsideration of their earlier endorsement of Akin was, in their words, "unprecedented" for the group.

A two-thirds majority is required to endorse a candidate, which Akin "far exceeded." If that requirement had not been met, the Missouri Farm Bureau would not have endorsed any candidate in the US Senate race.  Estil Fretwell of FARM-PAC wouldn't get into specific numbers, but said the second vote was close to the same percentage as the first.

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