Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), a leading critic of tribal and Alaska Native corporation contracting, failed to pay nearly $300,000 in property taxes on a plane she owns with her husband.

McCaskill has paid the personal property taxes to her county and has reimbursed the federal government $88,000 for flights she initially charged to taxpayers. But the incident -- being called Air Claire in Republican circles -- could damage her reputation in the 2012 election.

“This was a big mistake, and it certainly is going to create a big challenge for her,” Richard Martin, who managed her winning campaign in 2006 and was executive director of the state Democratic Party, told The New York Times . “But it was always going to be a challenging race.”

McCaskill is leading a campaign to restrict the amount of federal contracts that tribal and Alaska Native owned businesses can receive. She claims that taxpayers aren't getting the most benefit from the 8(a) program.

Get the Story:
For a Missouri Senator, Comeuppance Comes With Wings and a Big Tax Bill (The New York Times 3/29)

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