Posted on 04/29/2003 11:43:40 PM PDT by LdSentinal
Missouri state representative-turned-aspiring congressman Russ Carnahan should have it made.
His father, the late Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan, cast a huge shadow over state politics for three decades. His mother, Jean Carnahan, most recently was a U.S. Senator. And since age 8, he's been canvassing precincts, stuffing envelopes and building a get-out-the-vote machine.
Not so fast.
Between now and the August 2004 Democratic primary, Carnahan, 44, must craft a public persona distinct from the man whose shoes he'd like to fill, retiring Rep. and presidential candidate Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.); piece together the same coalition of working-class Catholics and black city dwellers that's elected the former minority leader 14 times; and knock off Democratic state Sen. Steve Stoll and St. Louis Circuit Clerk Mariano Favazzo.
"Having a prominent name and following prominent family members in the political arena has always been a two-edged sword," said Carnahan, who raised $106,000 in the first quarter of 2003.
The key to winning Missouri's St. Louis-area 3rd District, the two-term legislator said, will be talking about the economy, health care and national security.
So far, Carnahan, who announced last month his plans to run, has been vague about what kind of congressman he'd be, hewing to the mainstream party line while avoiding specifics.
On taxes: "I think additional tax cuts at this point, when we have the large and escalating cost of prosecuting these wars, at the same time when the economy is in a downturn, is not wise."
On Gephardt's recently announced healthcare plan, which would pay for medical costs by, among other things, eliminating the president's proposed $726 billion tax cut: "I have not even had a chance to read that. We've been tied up in session. . . . It's an idea that is very worthy of looking at."
And on his politics: "My politics are, I think, Missouri common-sense mainstream." He added that Thomas Jefferson and Harry Truman -- always a safe bet in the Show Me State -- are his favorite presidents. Carnahan is supporting Gephardt's presidential bid.
Carnahan also said he's driven to serve by his father, who died in a plane crash while on the campaign trail in 2000, and his mother, who stepped in to fill the Senate seat his father had won posthumously.
Should he make it to the general election, Carnahan could face Republicans Zane Vates or William Federer, who has challenged Gephardt before.
Rocks. Box. In either order, with or without a preposition.
Nothing further to say, except to bemoan the excessive number of mental defectives infesting Missouri's politics right now (ALL parties, but at least there's occasional comic relief from the Libertariat).
Bill Federer's gonna have his work cut out for him. Have you heard of a contested 3rd District GOP primary, or is the field essentially cleared for Bill?
Don't know Vates. I'm not too keen on Federer, who had several tries, whose percentage dropped last time he ran (in '00), and who comes across as goofy and unstable. Maybe Cathy Enz, who managed to get 40% against Lil' Dick in '02 despite having NO help whatsover from the party in the way of TV commercials, etc.
A good candidate with a well-financed campaign and we can win this open seat.
I agree. I think they mean Zane Yates. He is a former state rep., asst. minority leader, and supposedly the Great Hope for the district. He probably didn't want to spend his time losing to Gephardt previously. Cathy Enz would also be good; she's a straight conservative.
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