Talent sharpens attacks
2006-10-23
Source: Kansas City Star
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rss feedSen. Jim Talent has always relied on his affable personality. Even opponents like him.
But as Republicans nationwide fall behind in poll after poll, and his battle to fight off Democrat Claire McCaskill remains deadlocked with the election looming, it's no more Mr. Nice Guy.
In ads and in the final debates last week with his Democratic challenger, Talent is trying to make McCaskill herself the issue.
Talent has sharply attacked the business dealings of McCaskill's husband, pointed to criticism of how she handled a drug probe as Jackson County prosecutor, implied she was hiding income, and suggested that as Missouri auditor she stifled investigations for personal reasons.
In one of his campaign ads that ends with the required, "I'm Jim Talent, candidate for U.S. Senate, and I approve this message," a surrogate says of McCaskill, "I think Claire McCaskill is a liar. "Claire McCaskill will do whatever it takes to get elected. She'll lie and she'll cheat."
George Connor, a political science professor at Missouri State University in Springfield, said, "There was a definite change in the tone of Talent's campaign."
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