Two Republican operatives close to former Sen. Jim Talent say he is likely to run for the Missouri Senate seat of retiring Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.).
One Republican operative close to Talent said that he has been “itching to run” since losing to Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in 2006, and is eager to make a political comeback.
Interesting. I’d love to see this loser get his ass handed to him for the second time. On the Democratic side of the bench, Smith writes that Robin Carnahan seems like a solid bet to run:
On the Democratic side, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, daughter of the late Sen. Mel Carnahan, will likely be the nominee. One Democratic operative said she has already been preparing for a Senate campaign – even before Bond announced his retirement.
Carnahan won more than 1.74 million votes statewide in 2008 – more than any other statewide Democratic candidate in Missouri history.
I have to wonder if a Robin Carnahan candidacy would clear the Democratic field of all serious comers. At this point, I suspect it would.
Update: The National Review hears buzz that GOP Rep. Roy Blunt is also interested in the race.
and is he a reliable source? If Carnahan was going to get into the race before Bond decided to retire, then it seems likely she’d announce her candidacy in a short time.
Hasn’t that name been tarnished statewide thanks to the younger Blunt’s disasterous Gubernatorial term?
…wouldn’t she be the daughter of the late GOVERNOR Mel Carnahan?
I’m in a nit-picky mood.
he barely lost in a very strong D year, he can’t be discounted. Hopefully, a crowded primary for the GOP results and it gets nasty.
Has Carnahan held any office besides SOS? I’m impressed with her vote total but big wins in lower ballot offices like that can be deceiving. Has she got the goods? Is she a solid campaigner and speaker?
I want him to lose a second time. Blunt surprises me a bit (though even being a high ranking Republican member of the House today can’t be all that much fun any more).
Three Republican Senators and three Republican house members to one Democratic Senator (Kaufman) so far.
Ramsussen has a NY-SEN poll and it looks much better for Caroline than R2K’s poll.
http://www.rasmussenreports.co…
Carnahan was born the same day as Obama…August 4, 1961.
A fact, use it as you wish.
So says Matt Lewis
He’s hearing rumors that Voinovich would retire.
70 seat majority here we come!
Although Hulshof for one probably isn’t a strong candidate, an interesting tidbit is that both Talent and McCaskill were their parties losing Gubernatorial nominees two years before winning election to the Senate. Also, Bond lost a Governor’s race (though he won the next time) before being elected to the Senate. and Mel Carnahan, who was elected after being killed in a plane crash, also had an unsuccesful bid for Governor. That would leave Hulshof, Steelman and Talent for the R’s, and Holden for the D’s…
Charlie Cook moved Missouri to tossup for 2010, joining Florida (Open), Kentucky (Bunning) and Louisiana (Vitter) in that category. Why Louisiana is there I have no idea. I’d out that one an leans Rep at best, probably likely Rep.