Sen. Blunt says Todd Akin may ‘very well may win’ Missouri Senate race

Today on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-MD) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) spoke with Crowley about 2012 politics and more. A highlight from this interview is after the jump and a full transcript of the program will be posted on http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/sotu.html

MANDATORY CREDIT: CNN’s “State of the Union”

Highlight from the Interview
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED

CROWLEY:  Let me ask you about the state of the race in Missouri.  This is where you had Congressman Akin, who made a very controversial remark, which you condemned, which others condemned.  You, in fact, said at the time, “We do not believe it serves the national interests for Congressman Todd Akin to stay in the race for Senate.  The issues at stake are too big, and this election is simply too important.  The right decision is to step aside.”

As we all know, Todd Akin did not step aside.  He is running as the Republican.  And you are looking as though — the Republicans are looking as though they’re going to lose that race because Akin stayed in it.

BLUNT:  I think at the end of the day, that race does largely become a debate about the majority in the Senate.  Harry Reid is majority leader.  What happens there?  I think that becomes really big in that race.  Frankly, I think that anybody else would have been a candidate that clearly would have won, and Todd very well may win.  He is on a ticket at a time when people are looking at a Senate that’s not doing its work, and the only way to change the Senate is to change the majority in the Senate.

CROWLEY:  So you are going to sell it as a party race as opposed to the individual of Congressman Akin?

BLUNT:  I think it becomes a party race in our state and lots of other places as well, as people look at these Senate races.  And I’m not — I think they look at them to a great extent independently of whatever has happened in the presidential race, but I think the presidential race is going to be decided by the economy, and the economy is not where people want it to be.