Akin and McCaskill stayed away from the most controversial aspects of the race. Akin, McCaskill testy in final debate

For all the controversy surrounding the Missouri Senate seat, the final debate in this crucial race came down to one basic question: Is Rep. Todd Akin a political extremist, or is Sen. Claire McCaskill attached to President Barack Obama’s hip?

In a testy hour-long session, the two Senate candidates lobbed one sharply worded attack after another, with McCaskill seeking to paint Akin as a man whose political views are far right of even the most conservative Missouri voters, while Akin tied the Democratic senator to a president whose chances of carrying the state are remote at best.


“Moderate versus conservative, moderate versus extreme,” McCaskill told the crowd gathered in Clayton, Mo., just outside of St. Louis. “I think there’s a very big choice for Missourians to make.”

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Akin shot back: “Claire McCaskill was the first to endorse Barack Obama, and she was his strong right hand … voting with him 98 percent of the time.”

The two candidates stayed away from the most controversial aspects of the campaign — whether it was Akin’s “legitimate rape” comments that have caused national Republicans to abandon his bid, or the senator’s improper use of taxpayer dollars on her private plane.

But the debate quickly devolved into a fight over who was more out of touch on issues ranging from education policy to foreign aid — and it took an increasingly personal turn as the session wore on. In a biting attack during the debate’s closing remarks, McCaskill accused Akin of mistreating his female employees by paying them less than their male counterparts.

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“I support equal pay for equal work; I think it’s part of the equality that’s guaranteed in the Constitution,” McCaskill said. “Congressman Akin has said that’s not what he supports. He supports the boss being able to decide whether or not you get paid less just because you’re a woman. And if you look at Congressman Akin’s office, in fact, he’s a boss who does that. His women staff make 23.4 percent less than the men in his office. That is not the way we should have it in America.”

Not to be outdone, Akin accused McCaskill of profiting off her service in Washington through her votes and legislative activity.

“When you go to take a close look at that, you find out she’s gotten rich making a business that takes advantage of other people being in poverty,” Akin said. “She transferred $39 million to her home business, and there was no record of transparency whatsoever. She talked about the stimulus bill — it had $1 million in there — she cut funding for veterans in teachers, but managed to get $1 million in for her home business. So much for transparency.”

Despite the sharply worded rhetoric, the contours of the debate are likely to remain unchanged. An internal Democratic poll released before the debate found McCaskill with a 12-point lead, though a survey by the conservative group Citizens United claimed Akin had a 4-point lead earlier this week. Public polling has been sporadic in the race, though most political observers in both parties believe McCaskill is holding a steady lead in the wake of Akin’s comments on rape.

Akin’s remarks in August led to a sharp turn of fortunes for the GOP, given that McCaskill was seen as the most likely Democratic incumbent who would lose this fall, and now Republican chances of winning a Senate majority are growing bleaker. But Akin is convinced he can win by heavily relying on turning out his Christian conservative base while hammering McCaskill for her support of the president’s agenda, especially his unpopular health care law, an attempt to win over independents.

Still, after national Republicans failed to convince Akin to quit over his damaging remarks — where he said it was rare for women to become pregnant when they are raped because their bodies shut down — he has fallen far behind in fundraising, with just $553,000 in his bank account through September, compared to $2.1 million in cash-on-hand for McCaskill.

With Akin far behind in campaign cash, McCaskill has unleashed a barrage of attack ads, including a series of blistering commercials with testimonials from women lambasting Akin for opposing emergency contraception after sexual assaults. She made reference to that attack in her opening remarks.

“He wants to say that rape victims cannot get contraception on an emergency basis,” McCaskill said.

Still, McCaskill’s voting record certainly makes her vulnerable. At the Thursday debate, she took on the charges she’s tied to Obama’s agenda, listing her defections on issues like the Keystone XL pipeline and cap-and-trade legislation, repeatedly saying she was among the most moderate senators in the body.

“I don’t agree with my mother 98 percent of the time, much less the president of the United States,” McCaskill said.

Akin’s retort: “I didn’t say she agreed with him 98 percent of the time; I said she voted with him 98 percent of the time.”

The fight was no different than Senate races in red states across the country, with Democrats eager to cast their GOP opponents as further to the right of the tea party, while fending off accusations that they carry the water for Obama.

But in Missouri, a larger force could prevent all the debate rhetoric from breaking through: The St. Louis Cardinals playoff baseball game that started at the exact time as the evening session.

“I know the audience is not supposed to make any noises, but if people could hold up fingers of the Cardinals’ score during the debate, that would be great,’ McCaskill said in her opening remarks. “If you’re watching this at home, having taped it, I understand completely.”