Rod Jetton: How Todd Akin Won

All throughout 2012 Missouri’s U.S. Senate race was garnering significant attention because of its implications on the outcome of the majority, but after Congressman Akin’s offensive comment on rape he has became a talking point to all political commentators, a joke to average citizens around the water cooler, and a lightning rod of sensitivity to those who have suffered rape.

Many national political observers are asking, “How did this guy get elected in Missouri?”  His rise from an unnoticed conservative backbencher in the minority Missouri state legislature to the Republican U.S. Senate nominee is not that complicated.

Akin is not that well liked by the establishment of the Missouri Republican Party and has never been respected by party leaders and other elected republicans.  You probably expect all Republicans to say that after his comment, but as a former Republican leader who is now out of the party I can tell you Akin never did much to help other Republicans.

Sure, most politicians take care of themselves first, but usually they do something to play ball and help the “team,” but not Todd Akin. He never needed the help of the party to win any of his primaries, and they never respected him so he never lifted a finger to help anyone unless it helped advance his principles (something hardcore conservatives admire him for).

My point is not to bash Todd Akin, he is a patriotic American whose son’s serve in the military (U.S. Marines!) and I have no doubts about his genuine commitment to our country and its founding principles.  He is a hardcore conservative and proved it when he was one of the few Republicans to vote against President Bush’s Medicare expansion for prescription drugs.  He has a wonderful family that anyone would be proud of and he sticks with what he believes.  He also avoids negative campaigning which attracts many of his supporters. I have always said, “If you want a conservative who will vote no on everything then Todd Akin is your man.  He doesn’t get many reforms passed or change things but he can always be counted on to cut spending and vote no.”

As a former politician who has said some stupid things, I can understand how easy it is to say something stupid and wish you had said it differently.  I also know that sometimes you say or do something so stupid it ends your political career.  In Congressman Akin’s situation this could be one of those times.

For example, my wife who is a strong pro-life Christian, but dislikes politics and never follows political news heard his comment on TV and reacted, “I’m voting against that guy for sure.”  She had no idea who was running against him and seem didn’t care.  She is strongly pro-life and like Akin believes in the case of pregnancy resulting from a rape the baby should not be aborted because it is not the baby’s fault.  When I hear strong pro-life conservatives like her turning against Akin (even after he apologized) as well as conservative national radio show hosts I know his political viability is jeopardized.

Now let’s get back to how he was elected. In 1988 Todd ran for State Representative in one of the most conservative districts in Missouri.  The 86^th district covered the wealthy suburbs of St. Louis County where the majority of the small Republican House caucus came from.  In those days the republicans only held 56 seats out of 163.  Todd ran in a Republican primary as a hardcore conservative against James O’Brian a respected republican.  Todd proved to be an excellent organizer and excelled at identifying those who agreed with his views and plugged them into his campaign.

He served 12 years in the House minority and never had the chance to effect much change in a chamber dominated by the democrats.  In 2000 when Congressman Talent gave up his safe republican seat to run for governor, Todd Akin jumped into a very crowded five way primary, with several well known and respected challengers. He was not expected to win and was heavily outspent by his opponents, but he did have a hardcore group of homeschoolers and Christian conservatives and a wife who organized a very effective ground game.  Akin had very little money and was last in the polls going into the final 30 days until the other candidates started attacking each other and “somehow” Akin slipped by them and won the five way primary by 56 votes.

While he had never done much as a minority member in the House many conservative activists thought that since he was now in the majority he would take Washington by storm.  Of course most grassroots activists don’t know how the legislative process works.  Even in the majority you have to get along and horse trade to be a good “team member” in the majority.  Anyone who knows Todd Akin knows he is not as they say, a dependable “team member”.  He takes pride in doing his own thing, but that mindset never allowed him to get many reforms passed or be in a position to change things.

Back home in his conservative congressional district he effectively worked constituent services and stayed to the far right so that he could never be outflanked in a primary.  He has always had his dependable group of conservative supporters but the business leaders and moderate republicans in St. Louis grew to detest him.  Every two years they would try to get anyone who seemed credible to run in the primary against him, but no one was willing to take on a far right congressman in the intensely conservative district.  His lack of friends and influence allowed him to be pushed around in the 2000 redistricting process that saw him lose key corporate business and republican territory to Lacy Clay which angered the St. Louis blue bloods even more.