Russ Carnahan leaning toward congressional race (Missouri)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 3/6/03

[LdSentinal]

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Democratic state Rep. Russ Carnahan said Thursday he is likely to run for the St. Louis congressional seat now held by Rep. Dick Gephardt.

Carnahan is the son of former U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan and the late Gov. Mel Carnahan, who was killed in an October 2000 plane crash while campaigning for Senate.

[LdSentinal]

He would be an extremely difficult candidate to beat. All he has to do is getting mommy to stump with him and put on the water works when talking about his father and brother. That and a Democratic-leaning district, he would replace Gephardt. I hope he does not win the Democratic primary.

[LdSentinal]

Ping

[Keith]

IT doesn't make any difference....I talked to Todd Akin, 2nd District, this week. Gephardt's district was given part of Bill Clay's inner city voters...it's safely gerrymandered for a democrat. My cat could run as a democrat and win. No pubbie has a chance...except maybe Michael Jordan.

[Bogey78O]

So can we call him a legacy like Dems do with Bush all the time?

[Humidston]

What is it with these pols? Can't any of them find REAL jobs?? Sheesh!

[alfa6]

Night Shift ping

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[fieldmarshaldj]

All we can hope for here is if the 'Rats shred each other to pieces in the primary. No doubt little Rusty would merely be using this seat as a stepping stone to ascend to the Senate and avenge Big Mama's loss. This serves as a reminder as to why it was so important that we won the Governorship back in '00 to stave off the 'Rats gerrymandering. Gephardt's seat should've easily fallen into our laps with his retirement. There's really only 2 seats in the state that shouldn't be ours, and that's the Inner City MO-1 and MO-5, and perhaps with some creativity in the line-drawing, we might have a shot at those. Anybody remember that Wild Bill Clay, Sr. was having uncomfortably close calls by 1990 because so much of what's in the 2nd now was in his district and he told the 'Rats to hack off the Western half of his district (which, of course, caused one-term wonder Joan Kelly Horn to lose in '92) ? St. Louis continues to lose population en masse that will have to be made up by adding considerable chunks of the suburbs (2nd), and that will potentially put the 1st in play (which last elected a Republican in the central heart of its district, the ancestral 11th, in 1910 !). The population losses worked to our benefit in Louisville and Cincinnati, albeit to a lesser extent, and now both are in the GOP column.

[TroutStalker]

Thanks for the ping. I wonder if this son is a pilot?

[Coop]

Well, at least the Dems are looking to someone younger for a change. Given their recent history (Lautenburg, Mondale) I half expected they would recruit Harry Truman's younger brother to run.

[rface]

thanks..........

[sphinx]

Given their recent history (Lautenburg, Mondale) I half expected they would recruit Harry Truman's younger brother to run.

Given their recent history, I wouldn't be surprised if they dug up Harry himself ....

The average dim wouldn't know the difference, and Hillary could always channel his spirit for purposes of casting a vote.

[KC Burke]

I was thinking that his brother had been his dad's pilot on the doomed flight.

The heriditary nature of political families is much worse in the "Peoples' Party" and this is a good example. The peons, and those urban voters in this district will learn that their Representatives are inherited rather than from their ranks.

[TroutStalker]

You are correct, his brother was the pilot.

As for a Carnahan dynasty, I wouldn't be surprised if the sister is preparing for a run at something. Gotta keep the name in front of the people.

[Coop]

I wouldn't be surprised if they dug up Harry himself ....

Missouri has already set a precedent that candidates are not required to be alive...

[LdSentinal]

Really? Even under the new lines, Gore carried the district by 10% over Bush. I would have thought that the Republicans would be somewhat competitive. I'm surprised Akin would say that.