DECISION 2006»[/align]
Hunters back McCaskill
Opposition to sale of land earned her endorsement.
John Taylor
News-Leader
Encouraged by Claire McCaskill's opposition to the sale of public lands, a hunter's group on Wednesday endorsed the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and attended a rally for her at Parkview High School.
"Claire McCaskill embodies all the principles and goals of the American Hunters and Shooters Association," said Ray Schoenke, AHSA president, at a press conference at Hawthorne Park Hotel.
"I grew up in a household where hunting was a part of our life," McCaskill said, noting her father was an avid hunter.
Executive Director Bob Ricker said the mission of AHSA, which formed about a year ago, is to defend the constitutional right to bear arms while promoting responsible gun use.
"Most gun owners feel a civic responsibility ... to do what's right," Ricker said. "We want to keep guns out of the wrong hands like criminals and terrorists."
He said McCaskill's opposition to the sale of public land, including sections of Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, helped earn her the endorsement.
"She was probably one of the first officials to come out unequivocally on the idea that selling public land is wrong," Ricker said.
"I spent many, many weekends tromping through the Mark Twain Forest following my dad around," McCaskill said. "There's absolutely no reason we should ever sell one inch of the Mark Twain Forest."
Wicker said the endorsement of McCaskill is the first of a number of endorsements that will include Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Republican governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Bob Ehrlich of Maryland.
A standing-room-only crowd at Parkview greeted McCaskill with a standing ovation and chants of "Claire! Claire!"
She said that her Republican opponent, Sen. Jim Talent, had a number of national politicians, including President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, campaigning on his behalf.
"To them, this (election) is about holding on to power," she said.
Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer said the senator appreciates the support of the president and other top- ranking Republicans.
"We're doing what successful campaigns do in the final week, which is energize our supporters and get out the vote," Chrismer said.
McCaskill said she supported tax breaks for the middle class and opposed the "death tax" on family farms and small businesses.
"She really has a good eye for issues that are facing the vanishing middle class," said McCaskill supporter Christy Page, a Springfield educator.
"I have a daughter that I'm trying to send through college, and coming up with the money is just awful," she said. "Claire is the person who can help me get my daughter through college" with tax breaks.
Lifelong Democrat Lisa Cooper of Springfield said she believed McCaskill would do what is best for average people rather than special interest groups and would be fiscally responsible.
"I think that the sound bite of tax-and-spend Democrats just doesn't hold water anymore when it's the Democrats that balance the budget and creating a surplus," she said
McCaskill's campaign said more stops in Springfield before Nov. 7 are unlikely.
McCaskill endorsed by American Hunters and Shooters Assoc
