SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP)- Missouri’s top Republican challengers to U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill are trumpeting a common theme. They all contend freedom is under attack in America.

Senate candidates Sarah Steelman, John Brunner and Todd Akin took the stage Saturday at the Missouri Republican State Convention in Springfield to make their case for the August primary election.

Steelman blamed President Barack Obama and McCaskill for saddling the country with a national debt that is taking away freedom. Brunner declared that “freedom is stuck in reverse” in the country. And Akin said the nation’s employment and economic situation both are symptoms of an attack on freedom.

McCaskill, a Democrat, also was coming to Springfield on Saturday for what she said was her first 2012 campaign event in the area.

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