This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 20, 2010 - Former U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., says he'll wait until after the holidays before deciding whether to make a run for his old job in 2012.
"I'm looking at it very seriously,'' said Talent in an interview Friday. "I do think Sen. (Claire) McCaskill is vulnerable."
McCaskill, D-Mo., ousted Talent in the 2006 election. He had held the seat for four years, after defeating Democrat Jean Carnahan in 2002. (Carnahan served a two-year term following the posthumous election in 2000 of her husband, then-Gov. Mel Carnahan, who died in a plane crash in October 2000, three weeks before the election.)
Talent had made similar comments in late September but acknowledged that he's now taking a closer look at the contest since the Nov. 2 elections, in which Democrats suffered huge losses.
Now is the time, he said, "when everyone has to consider how they can best help the country. ... I'll seriously consider and work through it."
Talent added that he wanted to take time over the holidays to talk to family, friends and potential supporters.
McCaskill's staff said that she was unavailable for comment.
Since leaving office in 2007, Talent has been busy. His two chief jobs involve offering strategic advice to Fleishman-Hillard's subsidiary, Mercury Public Affairs. He's also a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, specializing in military affairs.
Talent also has served on several governmental panels, most prominently the Commission on the Prevention of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. And he continues to serve as an advisor to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's political action committee. Romney made an unsuccessful bid for president in 2008 and is widely expected to run again in 2012.
Talent has said previously that he continues to support Romney.
The context of Friday's interview centered on Talent's views of Ann Wagner, a former head of the Missouri Republican Party and a former ambassador who is laying the groundwork for a possible bid for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.
Before embarking on this latest quest, Wagner had acknowledged that she was considering a run for statewide office in 2012. Some Republicans have cited her as a possible U.S. Senate candidate, particularly if the party believes that a woman might have a stronger shot at unseating McCaskill.
Talent emphasized that he's a big fan of Wagner and that he believes she would be a great choice to head the RNC. "Ann brings instant credibility to the committee,'' he said. "I'll help her in any way that she asks."
As for a possible contest with her or other Republicans for the Senate post, Talent said he was concentrating on what would be best for him -- and not focusing on what others might or might not do.
"The next couple of months, I'm going to work through it,'' Talent said. He added that the challenges facing Congress and the country "are immense and practical in nature."
