Posted on 04/19/2011 11:28:57 AM PDT by Second Amendment First
Rep. Russ Carnahan has all but agreed to avoid a primary fight against Rep. Lacy Clay if, as expected, the two Democrats are drawn into the same district by the Missouri legislature.
But for detente to occur, there had to be hostilities.
Two weeks ago, a frustrated Carnahan approached Clay on the House floor. Carnahan had been hoping to get Clay and fellow Missouri Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleave to pressure Gov. Jay Nixon to veto a Republican remapping of the state’s congressional districts. Not only had Clay and Cleaver declined to help, they had stopped taking Carnahan’s calls on the matter.
“[F—-] you,” Carnahan said, according to a source who heard the obscenity. Then, with sarcasm, he added “Thanks for your help.”
It’s easy to see why Clay and Cleaver aren’t rushing to fall on their swords for Carnahan. The maps under discussion would strengthen Cleaver in his Kansas City-based district, and the new district that would be drawn from the current seats of Clay and Carnahan, who is white, would have a heavily African-American electorate. All of that, of course, is dependent upon the Missouri Senate and House coming to agreement on a plan — a big “if,” given that the Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation converged on Jefferson City on Monday to try to help hash out a deal between the warring chambers.
Carnahan’s best hope — and the fear of everyone else in the Missouri delegation — is that the heavily Republican Legislature will deadlock and an appellate court will draw the lines.
For Democrats, the bad blood runs deeper than the hot-tempered floor exchange. Given Carnahan’s flirtation with a primary run against Clay, some black Democrats were furious when party leaders put Carnahan on a list of targeted incumbents who are given extra campaign help. But, after a meeting of the Missouri Democrats with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), most folks are convinced Carnahan won’t run a kamikaze mission against Clay. Instead, one insider told POLITICO, Democratic leaders want Carnahan to run in a Republican-tilting district next door.
“They kind of want to get him to run in [Republican Rep. Todd] Akin’s seat, because [they] think Akin will be running for Senate,” the source said. Still, Carnahan hasn’t committed to anything yet.
Akin’s 2nd Congressional District is in the middle of a Republican tussle.
The fight is largely over the configuration of districts around St. Louis and St. Charles County, and the U.S. House delegation wants the state Senate to pass the state House version. Republican lawmakers believe that the 2nd District would be more vulnerable to a Democratic takeover should Akin run for Senate.
Legislators are running up against a deadline of sorts: If they can’t get a bill to the governor soon, they won’t have time to override a possible veto before the end of the legislative session in mid-May. That would kick the problem to a veto session in September and increase the chances that the lines would ultimately be drawn by a court. One GOP source tells POLITICO that Wednesday is the drop-dead point for getting a deal done in time.
The breakdown on the GOP side isn’t pretty. State Sen. Scott Rupp, chairman of his chamber’s redistricting committee, said the views of members of Congress should “carry no more weight than anyone off the street,” according to a report in The St. Louis Beacon. “We have to approach it that we don’t represent the current members of Congress. We represent the people of Missouri.”
Ping for Missouri.
Not too crazy about Clay of Cleaver either, but the last of the Carnahans have to go.
I hate the Clays too. This will be interesting. I was so happy to see that both of them might be head to head.
I have family in St. Louis county that have lived with Clay for too many years. First Sr. Now Jr.
Hopefully, the stupid party doesn’t screw things up in the redistricting. I can’t see Carnahan winning in Akin’s district (mine), too conservative, at least in my area. Last local election, only two dems on a slate of twenty races, and they lost.
BAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!
Snow balls chance in hell of that azzwipe winning far West StL county and St. Charles county.
Thank G-d for that. The people in St. Louis County deserve better.
Second, I see Akin in the Lowe’s I work part time at all the time. Maybe I should ask him what he thinks of Carnahan running in deep red territory.
W StL and St. Charles counties are the reddest of the red in Missouri. I think I read somewhere a few years ago that they were the most conservative in the state.
A judge would have to add North StL to the district for it to go democrat. I would like to see Akin as Senator, just not sure how the western part of the state sees him.
There is absolutely no way a Carnahan wins Akin’s seat...that is a solidly republican area.
Y’know, Rusty, you didn’t act this stupid in High School.
That will absolutely not happen. Clay needs all of St. Louis City and North St. Louis County to make a black-majority district.
If Akin runs for Senate, who would run for his seat? Would Jane Cunningham be a good candidate?
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Roger that...
Ditto that.
Jim Talent? What’s he doing these days?
Telling Cornaham to run in Akin’s district is the same as telling him to jump off a cliff.
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