Martin Changes Political Races

, the contest is back down to two in the running. Thursday morning, St. Louis attorney Ed Martin announced he would drop out of the GOP primary for Congress and instead challenge Chris Koster to become the state's top lawyer.

Feeding off of his near-victory against Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis) in 2010, Martin had support in his bid to succeed Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood), but has lagged considerably in fundraising compared to Ballwin resident and former RNC co-chair Ann Wagner, who has also lined up endorsements from national Republican figures, including John Ashcroft, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, who will be in the area next week at a "grassroots rally."

A Martin statement issued Thursday made no mention of the congressional bid and instead focused on Koster, a former Republican State Senator who switched parties prior to his bid for Attorney General in 2008. Martin attacked Koster over his handling of state-mounted bids to oppose President Obama's healthcare reform.

Mark and Mindy Patterson, residents of and principals of the Calvary Group LLC, stated the following in Martin's electronic announcement:

“Our country stands at the crossroads of choosing freedom or an alternative that may change our great country forever. As a result, a state's ability to protect itself and its citizens takes on new importance like never before. Accordingly, it is with great enthusiasm and humility that we offer our endorsement of Ed Martin as the next Attorney General for the great State of Missouri. Ed's firm commitment to the Constitution of the United States and to the laws of Missouri make him uniquely qualified to lead our state in this very important position. It is our honor and privilege to offer our support for Ed Martin as the next Attorney General for Missouri.”

A statement from the Missouri Democratic Party chided Martin's switch to another contest after considering bids in other congressional districts, the U.S. Senate and the governor's race.