Cunningham Passes on Congressional Contest

State Sen. Jane Cunningham will not run for Congress next year.

With  to run for the U.S. Senate, Cunningham, R-St. Louis County, had  But she told a St. Louis radio station on Wednesday morning that she would instead run for re-election for her western St. Louis County state Senate seat, which includes Chesterfield.

In a phone interview with Patch, Cunningham said her decision came down to where she could “have the most impact.”

“But it took a lot of time to thoroughly look at it, because running for Congress was a really nice political opportunity that was very inviting,” Cunningham said.

With nearly a decade of running—and winning—in state legislative elections, Cunningham could have been a strong contender in the race to replace Akin. Chesterfield will be a major population center 

The winner of the Republican primary could be favored to win the general election, especially because the new 2nd District includes GOP-leaning parts of St. Louis and St. Charles County. Asked if the decision was more difficult because the seat may not be open again for some time, Cunningham said “sure it did.”

“It was not an easy decision to make,” Cunningham said. “I looked at being in a body of one of 34 with filibuster power versus one vote among 435 as a freshman… I’m really interested not in what I can be, but what I can do. And in the end, where I could do the most is what moved me the most.”

Two announced Republican candidates in the 2nd District race released statements this morning praising Cunningham.

Ed Martin, a St. Louis City attorney who ran for Congress in 2010 against U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, said in a statement that Cunningham is “a true conservative leader who has walked the walk not just talked the talk.”

“Let me be clear: Jane Cunningham would be a strong member of Congress because she has stayed true to her principles and not simply said whatever she needed to be in office like many candidates today,” Martin said. “I fully expect her to be in public service for many years as a state senator, as governor, or any other office she seeks."

Ann Wagner, a former co-chairwoman for the Missouri Republican Party who lives in Ballwin, released a statement calling Cunningham “a great friend and an effective, conservative voice for St. Louis County in the Missouri State Senate.”

“We both live in the 2nd Congressional District, are both conservative women, and both care deeply about our neighbors and the direction of our country, and I will be working hard to ensure Jane Cunningham returns to the state senate," Wagner said in a statement.

Cunningham said she may endorse somebody in the Republican primary, although she added she is not ready to make that decision yet.

“It’s certainly not out of the question,” Cunningham said.

She also said she may be open to running for a leadership position in the Missouri Senate if she wins re-election.

"In politics, you never know what's going to happen and what doors may open," Cunningham said. "I think with the years I've spent in the legislature—and that's been 11 now with the possibility to go to 16 if I win this Senate race in 2012—I guess what I've learned is watch for those open doors and be ready to step through them where you can make a change for the best."

Meanwhile, Carnahan—who said he was taking a serious look at —is biding his time before making a decision.

 Carnahan was asked by an audience member how his 2012 intentions would be affected by redistricting.

“Right now, (South County) is in with a new 2nd Congressional District. Part of my district is in the new 2nd, part of it is in the new 1st,” Carnahan said. “But also, we hear that there may be some court challenge to the maps. And so we’re going to be watching, obviously with great interest, to see what happens with that.”

“The process may not be done until the courts are done reviewing what the legislature has done,” Carnahan said.

A Carnahan spokesperson had not yet returned a call seeking comment on Wednesday.