Things have quieted down a bit from the initial flurry of people filing for office with the Secretary of State in Jefferson City, though there have been a few interesting things to mull over since then.
For instance, in the 4th Congressional District Ike Skelton filed to run for re-election as a Democrat on March 7th. Interestingly enough, one Stanley Plough of Clinton, Missouri volunteered on that same day to fall on the sword in this race for the republican party. The least challenging political job in Missouri has to be that of campaign manager for Ike Skelton…
You’ve just got to love the ballot placement for the republican primary in the governor’s race:
Richard Allen Kline
Scott Long
Sarah Steelman
Kenny Hulshof
In the 17th Judicial Circuit (Cass and Johnson counties) there will be an election in November to fill the remainder of the term of Joe Dandurand who was appointed to the Western Court of Appeals by Matt “baby” Blunt. Gee, the governor hasn’t yet appointed anyone to take the spot until then. Mike Wagner of Harrisonville has filed as a Democrat. On the republican side J. Michael Rumley, Lynn Stoppy, and Karl Timmerman (on March 6th) have filed for the seat. Karl Timmerman faced (now former) Johnson County Prosecutor Mary Ann Young in the 2006 republican primary for an Associate Judge position in the 17th Circuit. Legend has it that hundreds of Democrats spontaneously crossed over vote for Karl (or was that to vote against Mary Ann?), only to desert him for the ultimately successful Democrat in the November general election. Lynn Stoppy (uh, in 2006 there was a Brackin at the end of that name), the current Johnson County Prosecutor who triumphed in the 2007 recount for the 2006 prosecutor race by 36 votes (after the largest precinct in the county ran out of ballots in the general election – thank you Gilbert Powers for your usual level of competence)(her Democratic opponent did around 350 votes better than Claire McCaskill in the county – talk about a “vote of confidence”…) was one of Mary Ann Young’s assistant prosecutors in Johnson County after leaving the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office (Uh, Lynn, are you ever going to tell anyone why? Just asking…). Have I lost anyone yet? This particular race has a back story and a cast of characters larger than that of any daytime soap opera.
In the 120th Legislative District the Democratic candidate, Kristi Kenney filed on opening day. Kenney ran against Shannon Cooper, who is now term limited out, in 2006. Scott Largeant, a republican from Clinton also filed on the first day. Orval Lee Page of Harrisonville filed as a republican on March 7th (that seems to have been a busy day, too). People have been scratching their heads and asking, “Who the hell is that?”
Well, there’s this Orval Page:
State Legislative Candidate 2002 Recruitment Sub committee—Elizabeth Dulaney, Steve Dotson co-chair, Brad Vold, William T. Baker, Rob Penningroth, Richard J. Gimpelson, George Baker, Orval Page, Donald Bowan, Don Kersten.
But, then again, it’s such a common name…
The first quarter 2008 campaign finance reports will be in at the Missouri Ethics Commission in mid-April. We’ll be able to see how things stack up for these and many other fascinating races then.
Are there any other filings for office which might pique our curiosity?
a) George Weber filed for HD89. Weber is best known as a frequent candidate (and he was a state rep from 1965 to 1967)
b) If Jim Noland doesn’t file and defeat Stanley Plough, it will be shocking.
c) Mitch Hubbard of Fulton is now the front runner for the job of “candidate who will lose by 16 points to Robin Carnahan”
Bill Burlison of Advance, MO isn’t the former Congressman, right?
Last I heard, Bill Burlison the Congressman won elected office in Maryland for time time after his service in Missouri.
So, i’m doubting that he just quietly returned to Missouri to run for office in Stoddard County.