Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) will announce his candidacy for Senate on Thursday, sources close to Blunt have confirmed.
Blunt has been expected to enter the 2010 race for weeks. His candidacy sets up a potential clash of the families in Missouri, as Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has entered the race on the Democratic side.
If Blunt, the father of unpopular ex-Gov. Matt Blunt, is the best the GOP can come up with here, then I like our chances with Carnahan. But like any statewide Missouri race in recent history, I would expect this to be closely-fought, and the early polling agrees.
However, primaries are still a distinct possibility here — state Treasurer Sarah Steelman is still contemplating a run on the Republican side, and 1st CD Rep. Lacy Clay is still “weighing his options” for the Democratic nomination.
Open seat fans shouldn’t get too excited about Blunt’s 7th CD — Obama lost the district by a 63-35 margin last November, only a slight improvement from John Kerry’s 67-32 beatdown four years earlier.
Im guessing Blunt didnt want his legacy to be ‘failed House leader’…so hes trying to become a Senator. I refuse to believe hed run for the Senate if his House legacy looked rosy. Hes one of the most powerful Republicans there, afterall. But I wonder if most voters in MO even have an opinion on Blunt. But should he win the primary the ad campaigns against him wont be pretty. I wonder if ‘Baby’ Blunt will run for his House seat. Kind of rare for an ex-Gov. to run for a non-At Large House district but hes just so young and might care about repairing his own legacy.
Guess the sizzling charisma of Boehner and Cantor isn’t a great incentive for Republicans to stay in the House.
Matt ticked off a lot of people by trying to cut funding from so many parts of the budget. My parents tend to be consistent republican supporters, but they won’t vote for anything that even sounds like Blunt. His name is dirt and I’d bet it will hurt old man Roy.
Won’t be a blowout but I just don’t see Blunt beating Carnahan. Definately our #1 pickup opportunity for now.
Why on earth would Rep. Clay be considering this race? Weighing his options, come on now. Don’t be dumb.
and that is why Blunt has little to no chance winning statewide against a popular Democrat like Carnahan. He will get destroyed in the St. Louis and Kansas City suburbs. It’s going to be a very satisfying win.
I believe Sarah Steeleman, dispite her recent GOP primary loss, would be a better nominee than Blunt. Steeleman’s outsider maverick message I think would have more appeal than Blunt’s.
and lose to Carnahan by 5+%. It will be a wider margin than the amount that her dad won in 2000 or her mom lost in 2002, or that McCaskill won by in 2006.
Robin Carnahan is as strong as Jay Nixon, and Blunt isn’t much better than Hulshof (never did understand why he did so badly). That is a recipe for a mini-landslide.