Posted on 05/13/2007 6:52:33 AM PDT by Non-Sequitur
Former Kansas City mayor Kay Barnes will run for the U.S. House next year against Rep. Sam Graves.
“I believe that my philosophy is the one that is the most effective one and most represents American values,” Barnes told The Kansas City Star in disclosing her plans.
Her decision was widely anticipated and comes after a long buildup that included trips to Washington, where she met with House leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and St. Louis, where she attended a Democratic Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner.
The Democrat’s entry sets up one of the premier congressional races in the country next year against Graves, a four-term congressman who has easily won three re-election campaigns after a narrow initial victory in 2000 against Democrat Steve Danner.
Graves’ camp responded Saturday by talking about the congressman’s principles.
“Sam Graves represents the values of the 26 counties of the 6th District,” said campaign adviser Jeff Roe. “She represents the values of the 26 blocks of downtown Kansas City. She will have a very difficult time convincing people in St. Joseph and the Northland that downtown Kansas City should get a second member of Congress.”
Best known as Kansas City’s two-term mayor, Barnes will emphasize a different part of her life when she formally kicks off her campaign. The event will be at 12:30 p.m. Monday in St. Joseph, where she spent the first 18 years of her life. Barnes will stand in front of her 94-year-old mother’s home, where she’ll be surrounded by four generations of family members, a visual aimed at emphasizing Barnes’ deep roots in northwest Missouri.
Barnes’ first cousin, famed CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite, will not be able to attend.
On Monday, Barnes also will visit Maryville, Chillicothe and a location in Platte County that had not been determined.
In an interview, she refused to jab at Graves and said her interest in Washington was fueled by her father, who once worked as a chief of staff to northwest Missouri congressman William C. Cole, a Republican.
On Iraq, she said that the American people were misled about the need to go to war and that the country should “move toward resolution” on ending its involvement.
“I’m not suggesting a timeline at this point,” he said. “We need to move in that direction.”
She said she favored firm goals to measure progress in Iraq. Barnes also said diplomacy in connection with Iraq “was not an adequate part of the equation and needed to be from this point on.”
Too good to be true. Talk about walking stereotypes of what leftist rodents are all about.
Very true.
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