Missouri Jumps Into White House Race; Texas Owes Us For Series

Candidate filing began this week for the state’s presidential primary amid questions about whether the contest will even have any bearing on choosing presidential delegates.

So far, four Republican presidential aspirants have signed up for next February’s contest. The list includes former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Georgia businessman Herman Cain, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and St. Louis resident Michael Meheen.

Republicans opted to select their delegates through a caucus process after the legislature failed to pass legislation moving the primary from February to March. Such a move was necessary to avoid running afoul of party rules.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has been a strong supporter of keeping the primary going, adding that she would prefer the delegates be allocated based on the results of the primary. She said as much in a statement announcing candidate filing last week.

“Just as ordinary Missourians have the chance to vote for party nominees for senator, governor and all their state and county elected officials, the Presidential Preference Primary on February 7, 2012 gives them a vote in nominating the next president,” Carnahan said in a statement. “Electing the President of the United States is serious business. Every Missourian should have the right to participate in that process.”

Some notable adherents of Romney’s campaign showed up in Jefferson City this week to file his name in the primary. The delegation included Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles), state Auditor Tom Schweich and state Rep. Jay Barnes (R-Jefferson City).

“America needs an economic turnaround, and Mitt's the guy for the job,” Barnes said on his Facebook page.

MOTHER OF ALL BETS?

There have been a lot of . But the wager between Russ Carnahan and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) may take the cake.

The two lawmakers announced Tuesday they would each wager 11 items on the final outcome of the World Series.

After the Cardinals took the title Friday night in four games over the Rangers, Cuellar must now pay up.

“The Cardinals (won) 11 games this postseason to become world champions for the 11th time in history,”  Carnahan said in a statement.

Cuellar must now pay up with:

• Bill Miller Bar-B-Q
• A Texas Rangers T-shirt
• A pack of Shiner Beer
• A pack of Dr Pepper from Dublin, TX, made with sugarcane
• Cowboy hat from Pleasanton, TX
• The Guenther House assorted gifts
• Mexican food from Taco Palenque
• CD from Intocable from Zapata, TX
• CD from Selena y Los Dinos from Corpus Christi, TX
• Pecan pralines from San Antonio
• Strawberry Poteet wine from Poteet, Texas

The bet between Carnahan and Cuellar seemed to top others seen so far, including the one between Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. You can see a full list of bets courtesy of KWMU by clicking here.

CARNAHAN MAKES “VULNERABLE” LIST

A political observer placed U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis) on a list of vulnerable incumbents.

Carnahan, who nearly lost re-election last year against Republican attorney Ed Martin, was effectively the odd man out in the state’s redistricting process. That prompted political analyst Stuart Rothenberg to place Carnahan on his “dangerous dozen list.”

“Missouri lost a district, and the GOP Legislature squeezed out Carnahan,” Rothenberg wrote. “Some of his district was given to Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis City, and the rest to Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood. Carnahan hasn’t announced his plans, but since Akin is running for the Senate, a run in his district would seem more likely than against Clay in a district where African-Americans constitute a large majority in a Democratic primary.”

Rothenberg went onto say that Akin’s open seat leans Republican, as evidenced by the fact that Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, received 53 percent of the vote there in 2008.

“So if Carnahan does run for re-election, he’ll start off in a very difficult position,” Rothenberg wrote.

Click here to read Rothenberg’s full list of vulnerable incumbents.

About this column: A look around the region at the week that was in electoral politics and a glimpse of the week to come.