Sen. Claire McCaskill Visits With Veterans in Campaign Stop

With less than a week to go before the election, Sen. Claire McCaskill made her rounds Wednesday in Arnold and South County.

This was McCaskill's first day back campaigning following the death of her mother on Monday.

Her last campaign stop of the day included a visit to the VFW Post 2593 in Arnold where she personally thanked the veterans for their service. She told Patch Jefferson County is an important county in the race for U.S. Senate.

"We have a very complicated campaign strategy here: keep Todd Akin talking," she joked at the Arnold campaign stop.

She told veterans that Akin voted to cut veteran's benefits, and that she would continue her work to ensure veterans have access to the same benefits her father did, who was a World War II veteran.

"Places like this (the veteran's post) feel like home to me," McCaskill told Patch. "The veterans know I've been a champion for them."

Tony DeBello, of Affton, served in Vietnam. After the event he said, "It's interesting how down to earth Claire is. She's the person you'd like to sit down and have a drink with. She is like a neighbor."

Earlier in the day, McCaskill held a news conference at Bayless Elementary and Intermediate schools to address the importance of the federal school lunch program. She said Akin wants to eliminate the program.