JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Congressman Todd Akin has begun running a TV ad in Missouri's Republican Senate primary featuring praise from former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

Akin's campaign said the ad, which began Thursday, is his first to run statewide in advance of the Aug. 7 primary.

The suburban St. Louis congressman is part of a Republican field that also includes St. Louis businessman John Brunner and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, of Rolla. The winner will challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in the November election.

In Akin's ad, Huckabee praises him as a "courageous conservative" who voted against President Barack Obama's health care and economic stimulus plans. Huckabee, a Baptist minister, also describes Akin as "a Bible-based Christian" who "supports traditional marriage" and "defends the unborn."

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