Tagged: U.S. Senate

Updated 6:10 p.m. with reporting from the St. Louis Beacon's Rob Koenig.

Overcoming a late surge of tea party backing for his opponent, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was elected to the No. 5 Senate leadership post Tuesday in a close vote that pitted an experienced GOP leader against an "outsider" businessman.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says Democrats will continue to push for votes on a payroll tax cut extension after it failed.

Senate Republicans on Thursday rejected a Democratic plan to pay for the $120 billion tax cut extension with an extra tax on income above $1 million. Durbin says Congress is "going to go back to this next week and the following week."

Updated at 2:52 p.m.:

Republican Ann Wagner, who previously announced an exploratory committee for congress, made it official today.

Wagner will run in the Second Congressional District, making her announcement following Akin's official word earlier today.