Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith (D) posted on Twitter about meeting with potential House candidates:

Just had 2 mtgs w/ ppl interestd in runnin 4 state rep in ’10 or ’12…the cycle starts earlier and earlier all the time it seems…about 1 hour ago from txt

Given the amount of money they have to raise and the tasks they must accomplish to get their campaigns going, it’s never too early for candidates to get organized. Potential candidates need to understand that getting started on the day you file for office in 2010 is a recipe for only one thing – losing.

Candidate recruitment conversations (and “testing the waters” ones, too) are taking part across the state. That’s a good thing, given the track record of the current republican dominated General Assembly.