Missouri Senate candidates aim to be most conservative

A businessman, an engineer and an economist walk into a room full of Republicans. All three vow to "repeal Obamacare" and reduce government taxes, spending, regulations and debt. Which one do Republicans vote for?

That's the choice facing residents in Missouri, where the leading candidates in an Aug. 7 primary to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill all espouse the same ideas on the economy, health care and a smattering of social issues such as abortion. With few substantive differences, Republican Senate hopefuls John Brunner, Todd Akin and Sarah Steelman have been trying to distinguish themselves by emphasizing their personal backgrounds and asserting they are the most reliable, red-blooded conservative.

As a result, the campaign has at times turned to hyperbole. Akin, for example, warns that the federal government suffers from "stage three cancer of socialism."