The Hill News

Missouri Republican Sarah Steelman is already using Twitter to promote her bid to challenge Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).

The former state treasurer announced her candidacy on her website on Wednesday, and tweeted a link to the page shortly after.

"I've made a decision ... Join me in the fight!" she said. "I'm running for US Senate because I believe in the American dream which is more freedom NOT more government."

Steelman, who also ran in Missouri's 2008 GOP gubernatorial primary, later responded to a statement from the Missouri Democratic Party calling her an "extreme right-wing clone of Sarah Palin."

"Mo Dems issue attack by calling me a conservative. I am- just like most Missourians," she tweeted.

Others who may aim to challenge McCaskill include former Sen. Jim Talent (R), Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (R) and Ann Wagner, a former ambassador and Missouri GOP chairwoman.

In a hypothetical match-up polled by Public Policy Polling, McCaskill led Steelman by a single point (45-44), but trailed Talent and Kinder both by 2 points (47-45 and 46-44 respectively). PPP surveyed 515 Missouri voters from Nov. 29 to Dec.1. The poll's margin of error was plus or min! us 4.3 percent.

On Twitter, Steelman has 996 followers.

Read more about her announcement here.