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Politics & Government

Former MO Lawmaker Joins Romney's Pile On of Gingrich

Also, Ron Paul supporters organize in Brentwood.

Former Republican state senator Jim Talent may have decided to skip running for office this election cycle. But that doesn’t mean he’s out of the electoral arena.

Talent, a Des Peres native who served in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2007, was one of a number of Mitt Romney supporters, who spent part of last week attacking former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

“The Speaker’s running as a reliable and trusted conservative leader and what we’re here to say with reluctance but clearly is that he’s not a reliable and trusted conservative leader because he’s not a reliable or trustworthy leader,” Talent said, according to a transcript of a conference call posted by Time Magazine. “I say that with reluctance. As a person who had the Speaker as my leader for four years in the 1990s, but it’s because of that experience that I say it.” 

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Other politicos included in the offensive were Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Republican and former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC).

For his part, Gingrich penned a letter to supporters this week telling them to "stay positive." He added that "it is critical the Republican nominee emerge from this primary campaign un-bloodied, so that he or she can make the case against President Obama from a position of strength."

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Talent’s advocacy of Romney isn’t particularly surprising, considering he endorsed Romney's 2008 presidential campaign. He's been involved with a number of think tanks since leaving office in 2007. Although Talent pondered engaging in a rematch with Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), he instead decided against getting back into electoral politics.

Of course, Talent’s exodus doesn’t mean the U.S. Senate race lacks Republican candidates from the St. Louis area. , got into the race earlier this spring, while Frontenac resident jumped in earlier this fall.

PAUL SUPPORTERS SET UP SHOP

It’s unknown whether the attacks from Talent and others will end up stalling Gingrich’s momentum. But a new survey from Public Policy Polling shows U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)—not Romney—seems to be cutting into the former House Speaker’s Hawkeye lead.

The survey found that Gingrich and Paul are tied in Iowa, with Romney coming in third. That’s a change from a previous poll that showed Gingrich with a relatively healthy lead.

Like Romney, Paul is a veteran of the 2008 campaign. But that may be where the similarities end. Paul has been an advocate of a noninterventionist foreign policy and an opponent of the U.S. Federal Reserve. He’s even come out against a monetary standard not backed with either gold or silver.

Some have noted that Paul’s organization is a lot more sophisticated this time around. One anecdotal example of this is the fact that Paul backers have set up a headquarters in Brentwood on Manchester Road.

According to St. Louis for Ron Paul’s Facebook page, the group has scheduled a number of events throughout the next few months in the run up to the state’s primary and caucus. It will remain to be seen whether such organization will help Paul in the St. Louis area,

One other Paul-related note: Rep. Paul Curtman (R-Pacific) penned a lengthy exposition of Paul’s foreign policy on his blog. Before getting elected to the state legislature in 2010, Curtman served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Curtman is planning to run in a Franklin County-based seat in 2012.

WAGNER CUTS A RIBBON

Speaking of headquarters, GOP congressional candidate Ann Wagner is planning on opening her base of operations in early January.

The Ballwin resident will open up her campaign headquarters on Jan. 7 at 14551 Manchester Rd. in Manchester, according to an email from her campaign.

Wagner, a former chairwoman of the Missouri Republican Party, is facing off against GOP attorney Ed Martin in the electoral battle for the 2nd Congressional District. A spokesman for Martin, who

CARNAHAN IN EGYPT

One final tidbit on a politician not running for re-election: Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's role in observing Egypt's parliamentary elections.

Carnahan's involvement is on behalf of the National Democratic Institute, according to a press release, to provide an “impartial assessment of the electoral process and demonstrate the interest of the international community in the strengthening of democratic governance in Egypt.”

“Fair elections are at the core of any democracy, and I am pleased to be in Egypt as they choose parliamentary representatives for their country,” Carnahan said in a statement.

Carnahan decided against running a third term for secretary of state. Rep. Jason Kander (D-Kansas City) and Rolla resident Ryan Dillon are running for the office as Democrats. Sen. Bill Stouffer (R-Napton) and House Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller (R-Willard) are running as Republicans.

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

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