Kit Bond calling it quits
January 8, 2009 by Phil Barron · Post a comment ⋅
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Via Taegan Goddard: The Politico sez that Missouri’s Kit Bond won’t run for reelection to his Senate seat in 2010.
“As a sixth-generation Missourian, I have always loved our state. Through 40 years in public life I have met many wonderful people. The people I have met along the way are the reason I ran for public office and the reason I am still here,” 69-year-old Bond said, according to his prepared remarks. “I thank the voters of Missouri who elected me to represent them. There is no greater honor. I am truly blessed to have been entrusted by them with the responsibility of public office.”
Good riddance to the longtime Bush apologist and torture advocate.
So far as raw politics goes, this is excellent news…for Sarah Steelman. As noted here earlier, the former MO state treasurer fought the old guard state Republicans and their support for Kenny Hulshof in the recent gubernatorial contest (Hulshof was beaten, and rather handily, by Democrat Jay Nixon). Steelman bore a hefty grudge against Bond for his support of Hulshof and charged him with dividing the party. Look for Steelman to make a spirited run at Bond’s soon-to-be-vacated seat under the banner of Change! and such…though at least one conservative blogger thinks that Rep. Roy Blunt (father of the outgoing gov Matt Blunt), freshly downgraded from minority whip, might be a logical candidate. There will be others. It will be rather interesting to see where the Missouri GOP invests its support.
(Add: Erick Erickson at RedState casts his early vote for Steelman. According to Political Fix at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, sock puppets for Blunt say he’ll “take a hard look at that race.”)
As for Missouri Democrats, who are sure to be smiling today: most people with an opinion point to the well-regarded secretary of state, Robin Carnahan, daughter of the late governor Mel and former senator Jean.
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