Missouri Senate: Brunner Gaining On Steelman After Condemning "Kill The Claire Bear" Comments

Matson Cartoon from 5/10/12 Post-Dispatch

The latest PPP polling from Missouri shows a tight race between John Brunner, Sarah Steelman, and Todd Akin (and shows all of them in a virtual tie with Senator McCaskill).  Of particular note is the fact that Brunner has gained 7 points from the last poll in January and Steelman has lost 4 points.  Of course, there are a lot of things going on, and it'd be a mistake to attribute the changes to one particular event, but it is worth noting that there's no evidence Brunner is suffering in the polls after having the courage to condemn the "we have to kill the Claire Bear" comments made at a recent tea party rally that Steelman attended.  Nor is Steelman surging ahead after giving a pass to the comments, a position that was strongly rebuked in the Post-Dispatch.  In other words, the poll offers little support that supporting violent rhetoric is key to wooing the conservative base.