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Our new candidate center is designed to help keep you up-to-date with the campaigns going on across the country. Click on your state of interest and you’ll find a list of candidates running for each federal office, a brief overview of the state, and specific information for campaigns of interest as it becomes available. In the near future, the candidate center will include polls that will be updated as new ones are released, and links to FEC data.

NCEC Candidate Center - Missouri

Missouri

Presidential primary: Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Congressional filing deadline: March 25, 2008
Congressional primary: Tuesday, August 5, 2008

President (11 Electoral Votes)

Missouri is a potentially competitive state in the presidential race if this is to be a Democratic year. John Kerry lost in 2004 by 7 percent, but Al Gore lost by merely 3 in 2000. If the Democrat runs a strong campaign winning this state is not out of the question. President Clinton won Missouri in 1992 and 1996 by healthy margins. The state is an excellent indicator of who will win the election, as it has voted with the eventual winner in every election since 1960. Missouri's 13 electoral votes would be a vital addition to the Democratic win column.

Polls continue to show that this state is in play. The most recent poll showed Barack Obama closing on Republican nominee John McCain, lowering the gap to just six-points. The closeness of the primary in this state could giveway to a divided Democratic Party in the general election, so the eventual Democratic nominee must mend fences to keep this state in play.

Obama VS McCain

Pollster	Dates	N/Pop	McCain	Obama	Undecided	Other
Rasmussen	5/6/08	500 LV	47	41	8	4
SurveyUSA	4/11-13/08	542 RV	50	42		8
Rasmussen	3/24/08	500 LV	53	38	7	2

Clinton VS McCain

Pollster	Dates	N/Pop	McCain	Clinton	Undecided	Other
Rasmussen	5/6/08	500 LV	45	43	4	8
SurveyUSA	4/11-13/08	542 RV	46	47	6
Rasmussen	3/24/08	500 LV	50	41	3

Missouri Governor - Matt Blunt (Rep)

Matt Blunt (Rep) - Incumbent
Anthony Ince (Rep) - Libertarian Activist, Paralegal, Army Reserve Vetran and 2004 Sec. of State Candidate
Chip Robertson (Rep) - Former State Supreme Court Chief Justice and Former Gubernatorial Chief of Staff
Sarah Steelman (Rep) - State Treasurer, Former State Senate and Economist
Jay Nixon (Dem) - Attorney General, Former State Senate and 1988 US Senate Nominee
Randy Langkraehr (Libertarian) - Realtor, Tax Consultant, 2004 Candidate and 2006 US Representative Nominee

1st District - Bill Clay (Dem)

East, North St. Louis and suburbs

Lacy Clay Jr (Dem) - Incumbent

2nd District - Todd Akin (Rep)

East, Western St. Louis suburbs

Todd Akin (Rep) - Incumbent

3rd District - Russ Carnahan (Dem)

East, South St. Louis and suburbs

Russ Carnahan (Dem) - Incumbent

4th District - Ike Skelton (Dem)

West and central, Kansas City suburbs, Jefferson City

Ike Skelton (Dem) - Incumbent

5th District - Emanuel Cleaver (Dem)

West, Kansas City and eastern suburbs, Independence

Emanuel Cleaver (Dem) - Incumbent
Jacob Turk (Rep) - Businessman, USMC Veteran and 2006 Nominee

6th District - Sam Graves (Rep)

Northwest corner, St. Joseph

Democrats haven't mounted a serious campaign in this district for several cycles, and thus have received between 30-35% of the vote over the last three elections. However, the candidacy of former Kansas City mayor Kay Barnes gives Democrats the kind of candidate with high name recognition that could possibly win the seat. Barnes has served eight years as the mayor of Kansas City and has garnished wide bipartisan support. She received praise from U.S. Senator Christopher Bond and state house speaker Rod Jetton, both prominent Republicans in Missouri. This district will be a tough win, because to this point Republican Sam Graves has been very popular incumbent amassing over 60 percent of the three elections, and President Bush won this district by 15 percent in 2004. However, there is reason for optimism, the district supported Democrat Claire McCaskill in her Senate race in 2006. The district includes several rural counties that generally vote Republican, but a strong turnout in the urban areas and a favorable political environment could be a recipe for success.

The DCCC recognizes the marginality of this district as it has selected this campaign as one of the few to receive extra assistance as part of the DCCC's "Red to Blue" prgram.

Sam Graves (Rep) - Incumbent
Kay Barnes (Dem) - Former Kansas City Mayor, Former Jackson County Legislator and Businesswoman