In the Fall college towns across Missouri hold homecoming events, including parades. In an election year the crowds that gather to watch the parade are a convenient concentration of people for individuals running for public office. On off years, the crowds are still there, but there are fewer politicians.

This morning Jason Kander, the Democratic Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016, walked the University of Central Missouri homecoming parade, taking the opportunity to greet people and shake hands along the parade route.

Secretary of State and 2016 U.S. Senate candidate Jason Kander (D) at the University of Central Missouri Homecoming Parade, in Warrensburg – October 24, 2015

Warrensburg Daily Star Journal Editor Jack Miles spoke with Jason Kander (D) as he walked in the parade.

Interestingly, there wasn’t a republican entry in the parade that we could find. We did look.

The annual University of Central Missouri homecoming parade took place in Warrensburg today. In election years local (and sometimes statewide) politicians walk the parade and greet people along the route. The lineup for the parade starts at around 7:30 a.m. Almost everyone is waiting in place by the time the parade starts at 9:00 a.m., though the politicians usually don’t step off into the parade route until around 10:00 a.m. The wait gives those in the parade an opportunity to converse, talk, visit, schmooze, or whatever you want to call it.

This morning before the parade started Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) met Randy Huggins’ grandson for the first time.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) in the University of Central Missouri homecoming parade in Warrensburg this morning.

Over five years ago then candidate Vicky Hartzler (r) held a health care town hall in Warrensburg:

A health care story (September 3, 2009)

[….]

SMP: And, and you’ve told your story in a variety of, of places. Last week you attended a, another forum for, in this area. Could you tell me about that?

Randy Huggins:…Last Thursday I went to a health care information forum, I guess you could call it, Vicki Hartzler [a declared Republican candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat] held here. And she had concerns about the legislation and she had things that she liked about the legislation. Then she said she had solutions. The solution that she offered for the pre-existing condition my grandson had was, she offered to bring the family a, a hot meal. [pause] We’re hungry, but that’s not gonna help his heart, so.

SMP: And so, do you, do you feel some frustration when, when dealing with this, you know, the subject of health care reform and when you feel like people give you solutions that really aren’t solutions?

Randy Huggins: Absolutely it’s frustrating. [pause] I, I just, I don’t understand where they’re coming from. Why they can’t see the need to fix, the system’s broken. And they don’t see any need to fix it or to change it in any way. Just….

[….]

Randy Huggins and his grandson after the homecoming parade in Warrensburg – October 18, 2014.

Randy Huggins informed us that he approached Representative Hartzler (r) this morning and introduced his grandson to her. She was pleasant in her response and probably wasn’t yet making the connection.

He then told her this was the grandson who had the congenital heart defect for which his daughter’s health insurance denied coverage because they considered it a preexisting condition. He added that this was the grandson for which she had suggested people could bring a hot meal to the family to help out. He told us that she was somewhat rattled and responded about the propriety of making it political.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) and the republican party made it political in 2009. She continues to make it political and makes the consequences of losing health care very real for millions of Americans ever time she votes to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. This morning Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) had to face just one story in that reality.

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): the Affordable Care Act and what repeal really means to one family (July 13, 2012)

A sign at a St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

There was a parade in Stockton, Missouri this afternoon. Three hours before the start of the parade the first thing you can’t help noticing when you turn on to South Street is the large number of empty lawn chairs already occupying spaces along the parade route. Over those next three hours those lawn chairs and more filled up.

Local parades are an opportunity for candidates to interact with a large crowd of people, most of of whom probably live in the district.

Along the parade route – at 11:30 a.m. (left) and at 1:30 p.m. (right).

Cass County Prosecutor and 4th Congressional District candidate Teresa Hensley (D) took that opportunity to walk the parade and talk with voters before the parade at a meet and greet at a home along the parade route.

The parade started at around 2:00 p.m.

Teresa Hensley (D) was entry number fourteen (of over a hundred):

I love Missouri. On a classic vehicle (one among many) in the parade:

In addition to the candidates other entries included middle school and high school marching bands, organization floats, classic cars, classic tractors, and high school queens:

Inigo Montoya: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Vicky Hartzler (r) wasn’t present, but there was an entry toward the end of the parade:

Lex Luthor: “Guy’s a clod. Promises were made, gifts exchanged….”

Back in August:

Hartzler statement on Congressman Akin

Harrisonville – Vicky Hartzler stated today, “Like many Missourians, I found Congressman Akin’s comments baffling, disturbing and misinformed. Over the last few days I have attempted to communicate with him personally; however, my repeated attempts have been unsuccessful. Due to the serious nature of this issue, I hope and pray he will make the right decision for himself, his family and our country and follow the advice of Senators Blunt, Bond, Ashcroft, Talent and Danforth.”

That was then, this is now.

Fancy that.

The only statewide candidate to show up at the University of Central Missouri Homecoming parade today was the guy who’s going to lose to Robin Carnahan.

It appeared that most of the emergency equipment in Johnson County was in the parade.

I sat at the front desk of the county Democratic headquarters (we’re on the parade route). We closed the front door because a couple watching the parade, standing right next to the opening, were smoking like chimneys and the smoke was pouring in. Later they came into headquarters to ask if the deadline to register to vote had passed (pounds head on table – for lengthy period of time).

The crowd appeared much smaller than previous years. Meanwhile, the Obama field office around the corner and the Nixon campaign here were running canvassing and phone operations.

A young Obama supporter.

An alumni from out-of-state stopped in to chat – he saw we were open and just walked in. He told me he was a life-long republican but he was voting for Obama. I asked him how he came to be at this point. He was affected by outsourcing in particular, and the economy in general. He told me that he thought Obama is compassionate without being overly emotional. We talked about race – if Obama wins maybe race will become a moot point.

This creeps me out on so many levels. The McCain/Palin campaign appears to invest a significant amount of resources into campaign “chum”.

I got into a long conversation with an anti-Communist female small business owner. She stopped by and wanted to get an Obama button but didn’t want to pay the $2.00 for it. She said she was undecided. She isn’t happy with the possibility of people who make more than $250,000 a year paying more in taxes. If Obama gets in “he’s going to bring the Communists” over. I kid you not.

Ike Skelton (D) represents the 4th Congressional District.

Kristi Kenney, Democratic candidate in the 120th Legislative District.

Jim Jackson, Democratic candidate in the 121st Legislative District.

Chris Benjamin, Democratic candidate in the 31st Senate District.

Evidently they let anyone drive a parade vehicle.

Chilhowee, Missouri hosted it’s annual parade at noon today, as part of their fall festival. The small town in the southwest corner of Johnson County has a population of 329 (2000 census). Entries for the parade started lining up around 10:30 a.m. The parade route is just a few blocks long. The number of individuals walking in the parade in support of political candidates approached the number of the total population of Chilhowee.

Chris Benjamin, Democratic candidate in the 31st Senate District, speaking with parade volunteers.

Steve Shippy (D) (left center, wearing a yellow shirt), candidate for Johnson County Treasurer, with his large entourage of volunteers – all wearing campaign t-shirts, truck, and trailer. This is a typical parade setup in our area.

Volunteers line up at the start of the parade. Everyone has (and develops) their own technique for carrying and distributing candidate stickers and other campaign chum. Candy for the local kids lining the parade route is an expectation placed on all candidates. A volunteer is sent ahead on the parade route to distribute paper bags emblazoned with the candidate’s sticker to distribute to children so they can conveniently carry all the candy they manage to pick up.

Chris Benjamin working the crowd. He takes time to shake hands, introduce himself by name, and have a short conversation. An energetic campaigner, he managed to shake almost every adult hand along the parade route.

Kristi Kenney’s volunteers toss a particularly popular piece of campaign chum (at least with children) – soft foam balls with her camapaign logo on them. Kristi Kenny is the Democratic candidate in the 120th Legislative District.