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Politics & Government

The Great Shift

This week is also about movement as Ed Martin thinks about his next move and new state legislative maps cause some chaos.

With the Republican nomination for governor all shook up, so to speak, there’s increased speculation that Ed Martin might bolt from the 2nd Congressional District race.

Martin didn’t help pare down curosity when he went on KMOX to say that he would consider switching races once again during the election cycle. Martin already bowed out of the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate after U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) 

Beyond having to answer for his propensity to switch races midstream, Martin may have to deal with yet another well-funded opponent in Dave Spence. The Frontenac businessman gave himself $2 million for his gubernatorial bid. He also has the backing of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, the Cape Girardeau Republican who decided to run for re-election as opposed to running for governor.

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For what it’s worth, Martin’s campaign sent out a few emails in the last few days that didn’t seem to provide any further hints of his intentions. In a press release celebrating the 50th “Ask Ed” event, Martin said in a statement the forums are “a great opportunity for us to connect with citizens all throughout the Second District.”

Martin, of course, is engaged in a GOP primary with former Missouri Republican Party chairwoman Ann Wagner. Wagner has managed to raise more money than Martin and snag a wide array of high-profile endorsements, including from  and former .

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And in addition to Spence, Kansas City businessman Bill Randles is also running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Gov. Jay Nixon is the only major Democratic candidate in the race.

They don't love you like I love you

Boom. Pow. Zap.

You could write any explosion-related noise you want, and it could aptly describe the impact of the newly released maps showcasing state legislative lines.

Jo Mannies and I broke down a lot of what the new lines mean in this St. Louis Beacon article. AndPatch editors  got into the details about how specific areas of St. Louis are affected by the appellate judges’ decision-making.

But the reaction to the maps, at least through cyberspace, has been mixed across the spectrum. For instance, GOP political consultant James Harris, a Washington, MO native, extensively Tweeted his displeasure over both the House and the Senate maps throughout Wednesday night. Jeff Mazur, a Democrat from Ashland who was on the commission rearranging the state Senate map, also reacted negatively to Wednesday’s release

Buddy Hardin, a political activist from St. Charles, perhaps said it best when he said the biggest winners were “U-Haul, Ryder, Mayflower, and United Van Lines.” That was likely a reference to how many House and Senate incumbents who may have to move in order to avoid primaries.

Roe gets some ink

Jeff Roe probably isn’t a household name in the St. Louis area. But the Kansas City native is well known in Missouri politics for his work as a political consultant in races large and small.

This week, Steve Kraske of the Kansas City Star wrote about how the northern Missouri native's company – Axiom Strategies – has developed a nationwide presence. Roe is already doing work for a number of congressional races around the country, as well as assisting with Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential campaign.

In St. Louis, Roe did extensive work in Republican Bill Corrigan campaign’s for county executive last year. He’s also done work in the past for Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-St. Elizabeth) whose district includes some parts of St. Charles County.

Kraske also noted that Roe, known for his hard-charging tactics, has gained a bit of respect from his Democratic counterparts. And Kraske also wrote how a staph infection changed Roe’s outlook on things, noting now that Roe doesn’t “hate as many people” as he did before. 

Click here to read the rest of Kraske’s article.

Twitter Tussle

As alluded to in the earlier item, Twitter has become a pretty common conduit for Missouri politicos over the last few years. Numerous legislators, political operatives and reporters utilize the social media conduit as a method of communication.

Lately, the integration of politics and Twitter was in the news when Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback got into a tussle of sorts Kansas high school student Emma Sullivan.

Sullivan gained some attention when she made a disparaging tweet against the Republican governor. Brownback’s staff then contacted Sullivan’s principal, who asked the 18-year-old to apologize. The governor eventually apologized himself for “overreaching.”

House Budget Chairman Ryan Silvey (R-Clay County) found the whole situation confounding, stating: "So, a teenage girl acts childish on Twitter, a Governor's staff overreacts & days later we care why? #15minutesareup"

Silvey, of course, made the statement on—you guessed it—Twitter.

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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