Claire McCaskill Skipping Democratic Convention

A major Obama ally won't be at his side in Charlotte this summer. A Claire McCaskill aide tells Talking Points Memo that the Missouri senator will not be attending the Democratic National Convention, making her the latest in a line of red- and purple-state Democrats snubbing the event. But the aide insisted McCaskill wasn't avoiding the president.

"In years when Claire is on the ballot, she has historically not gone to the convention, because she believes it's important to stay in Missouri and talk to voters," the aide said, adding that McCaskill didn't attend in 2004, either.