After a rally at the Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign Office at 300 E. Broadway encouraging people to vote, The Maneater had the opportunity to interview Erik Dorey, incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill’s spokesman.

[Maneater]: What was the purpose of the rally?

[Erik Dorey]: Well, basically Claire stopped by Columbia to thank volunteers and build momentum as she works toward being victorious on Election Day. She also took questions from members of the press.

[Maneater]: How many people would you say were at this event today?

[ED]: I would say that there was about 30 people there today, but this is just one of many staging locations for the grassroots organizing efforts going on across the state and, thus far, volunteers like the folks in Columbia this morning have made over 5.7 million phone calls and knocked on more than 1.2 million doors in the state.

[Maneater]: What else is the McCaskill campaign doing to encourage voters?

[ED]: The coordinated field program is going to be launching thousands of canvassers every day from hundreds of staging locations throughout the state between now and Election Day, and it’s all part of a record-setting effort to turn out every possible voter.

[Maneater]: Why do you think it’s important for people to vote?

[ED]: There’s a clear choice in this election between Claire’s record as a senator on the side of Missouri’s working families, and Todd Akin, who is an extreme candidate who wants to privatize Medicare, Social Security, (and) several student loans and abolish minimum wage.

[Maneater]: Why do you think it’s important for, specifically, college students to vote?

[ED]: Todd Akin wants to end several student loans, which will have an enormous impact on residents of Columbia and the (MU) community. Claire’s working for support and working for votes of everyone in Columbia and across the state.

[Maneater]: What is McCaskill’s stance on education?

[ED]: Claire wants to expand access to Pell Grants (and) federal student loans and invest in education that matters to Missouri families and students, whereas Todd Akin wants to end federal government’s role in education entirely.

[Maneater]: What do you think is the most prominent trait that McCaskill brings to the table?

[ED]: She has the record of a Missouri-style moderate that works across the aisle and gets results for Missouri families, while Todd Akin is on the very fringe of Congress.

[Maneater]: How does McCaskill feel as Election Day creeps closer?

[ED]: I think Claire feels confident going into Election Day as Missouri voters review her records as the senator on their side.