Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Morning Fix: Jury still out on Sarah Steelman as GOP Senate candidate

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, in his Morning Fix blog today, evaluated the Missouri U. S. Senate race, noting that there is no shortage of candidates wanting to challenge Claire McCaskill, now that McCaskill's predecessor, Jim Talent, has decided not to enter the race.

Cillizza also points out that Republicans are not exactly swarming toward the only announced candidate, former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman:

Former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman is the lone Republican in the race, but she's got no shortage of potential GOP opponents, including Rep. Sam Graves, former state party chairwoman Ann Wagner and former congressional candidate Ed Martin. What that suggests is that many aren't quite ready to embrace her as their next big Senate candidate. And if Talent bows out, these candidates will feel free to enter the race at will.


But that could be changing. Politico's Dave Catanese (who broke the news Tuesday) smartly points out that Sen. Roy Blunt's (R-Mo.) former chief of staff has penned a fundraising letter for Steelman. (Steelman, you may recall, opted against challenging Blunt in a primary last cycle.)

Whether that's a simple return of a favor or a sign of a larger amount of support from Team Blunt remains to be seen. The jury is still out on Steelman as a candidate, especially after she severely wounded the GOP's governor candidate in their 2008 primary. If Blunt jumps on board with Steelman, though, that would discourage other Republicans like Graves and Wagner (who was chairman of Blunt's campaign) and could help Steelman avoid another bruising primary.
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4 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:18 AM

    Nodler? Goodman?

    Just sayin'.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:21 AM

    Nodler, yes.

    Goodman, what are you smoking?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous10:26 AM

    Steelman jumped in early, Billy Long style, to try to get early commitments for dollar$ but the talk on the street is that the long-time Republicans are saying anyone but Sarah. And, the money is not flowing, it's just a trickle.

    I'm just saying.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11:22 AM

    Here is an example of why Sarah, the darling of the trial lawyers, should not be elected, to anything.

    The Equal Justice Act and its "Judgment Fund" is being raped and plundered by lawyers representing environmental and animal rights groups.

    Budgeting for funding such a fund, provided to pay BOTH sides' lawyers-charging up to $600 per hour, is not only impossible but the basic premise of funding both sides is untenable!

    Insults to ranching, farming, hunting, and other forms of making a living being hampered by these issues pales in comparison to the budget-busting insanity of an open ended access to the treasury this act has created.

    Now, do you think sending Sarah to the U.S. Senate, or Goodman the attorney is a good idea?

    Sarah's husband is the Grand PooPa of the trial attorneys in Missouri.

    ReplyDelete