First things first.
Colorado,
Indiana,
Nevada,
North Carolina,
Iowa,
New Mexico,
West Virginia,
Kansas,
Connecticut and
Illinois.
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JUMP!
There are nine Congressional Districts in Missouri, of which 4 are held by Democrats and the remaining 5 are held by Republicans.
MO-1 is the great city of St. Louis. Our guy, William Lacy Clay, carried this district with 75% in the last election. This opponent is Leslie Farr, a 26-year-old former Amtrak conductor who was fired for telling people to vote against Kerry. A couple of things in Farr's favor: he supports gay marriage and he plays PlayStation.
MO-1: Safe Blue.
MO-2 is the northern suburbs of St. Louis, and is very Republican. The reddie here is a guy by the name of Todd Akin, who won this district with 65% of the vote. Our guy is a fellow by the name of George Weber, who lost to Akin last time, and, from what I'm able to tell, is simply not raising money, period. WWII vet with a sense of humor, but I can't see him doing a lot better than he did last time.
MO-2: Safe Red.
MO-3 is South St. Louis. Our guy is Russ Carnahan, and if that name sounds familiar, it should. He is the son on Mel and Jean Carnahan, one who beat Ashcroft in a Senate race and died, and the other who served in her husband's stead. Russ is a good guy, which is a good thing, cuz he ain't goin nowhere. The sacrificial lamb the Republicans have put up is a guy named David Bartelsen. Maybe when he's done here, he can run against Mayor Daley in Chicago.
MO-3: Safe Blue.
MO-4 is Jeff City and the suburbs of KC, MO. Our guy is Ike Skelton, and I'm really surprised that the reddies aren't trying harder for this seat as Bush took the district with some 64%. Except that Skelton has served in this spot for nearly 30 years and carried the district with 66% last time. Oh.
MO-4: Safe Blue.
MO-5 is KC and our guy is Emanuel Cleaver. The reddie is a guy by the name of Jacob Turk, who has the chutzpah to be running on a platform of change. "Abortion - I am against it. Life - I am for it." Yeah. If that's the change he wants, I'm glad that MO-5 is...
MO-5: Safe Blue.
MO-6 is the Northwest corner of the state. Kerry got an impressive 42% here, which just means that Bush isn't as popular as he should be, as the reddie incumbent got 64%. Our gal is Sara Jo Shettles. She's running it smart... a vote for the incumbent is a vote against Social Security. Good for her. Endorsed by the unions who followed it up with cash, she might get enough to get her message out. And if she can get her message out, she might at least keep Graves home.
MO-6: Safe Red.
MO-7 is the Southwest corner of the state. This is Roy Blunt's district, and he had 70% of the vote last time. The challenger is Jack Truman, and, if I were running for Congress in Missouri and I was related to Harry, I sure would make it easier for folks to know that. This guy needs help. I mean, down to the website. The sad thing is that Blunt could be vulnerable, and a Truman could take him down, but, from what I've seen, this ain't the guy to do it.
MO-7: Safe Red. Dammit.
MO-8 Southeast Missouri and awfully rural. The reddie here is JoAnn Emerson, and is running against our Veronica Hambacker. Hambacker is an extraordinarily liberal candidate and incredibly gay-friendly. Hate to say it but she is just the wrong candidate for this region. Perhaps she and Lipinski in IL-3 should switch.
MO-8: Safe Red. Damdamdamdammit.
MO-9 Northeast portion of the state and the exurbs of St. Louis. This is a red district anyway, and the incumbent took 65% in the last election. The bright spot is that Kerry took 41%. Our guy is Duane Burghard, and he's actually been able to put together some dollars. He's being outraised about 7:1, but, in Missouri, that's dang near a fair game. He's an Apple geek, but I don't hold that against him. Labor is behind him, but unless we really sweep, this district stays red.
MO-9: Safe Red but the closest thing to in-play Missouri offers.