Downpour 'baptizes' Wagner's kickoff of 2nd District congressional bid
By Jo Mannies, Beacon political reporter
Posted 1:20 am Fri., 7.8.11
Many supporters wielded open umbrellas -- even as they stood under a huge tent -- and folding tables were being used as fords across particularly mushy areas of Ann Wagner's Ballwin backyard.
But the veteran Republican leader viewed Thursday night's downpour as "a little baptism'' for the official launch of her 2012 bid for the 2nd District congressional seat -- and not any sort of dampening sign of her chances against her rival for the GOP nomination, St. Louis lawyer Ed Martin. Both are vying to succeed fellow Republican Todd Akin, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
Referring to the rain, Wagner declared, "We consider this good luck."
Wagner's strong establishment credentials were evident Thursday, with the presence of many of the region's top Republican political players -- including St. Louis County Republican Party chairman Rich Magee, former state House Speaker Catherine Hanaway and veteran party activist Jan Klarich.
In her brief address, Wagner did not mention Martin. She chose instead to lay out her own biography as the daughter of a couple running a carpet store in west St. Louis County (coincidentally, part of the current 2nd District.)
Wagner said she rose from cleaning toilets at the family business to selling carpets. A fellow teenager, Ray Wagner, worked at the store cutting carpets.
Decades later, the now married couple have three almost-grown children. And both parents are highly successful. Ray Wagner is an executive for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, while Ann Wagner is former chair of the state Republican Party, former vice chair of the Republican National Committee and most recently ambassador to Luxembourg.
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