Thursday, March 5, 2015

Roy Blunt Electoral Circumstances


Previous Election
  • According to the nationally recognized New York Times, Roy Blunt was able to defeat Robin Carnahan by 13.6 percent
  • Senator Blunt was able to win comfortably against a Carnahan who comes from a family of politicians
  • Early polls indicated that it may have been a close race, and that Carnahan actually had the advantage, but by the end it was clear Roy Blunt would be the winner 
Upcoming Election
  • At this point it looks as if Senator Blunt will have a relatively easy primary because no other Republican has declared to run against Blunt 
  • According to news-leader, a newspaper based out of Springfield Missouri, Blunt's largest concern is Democrat Jason Kander
Democratic Opponent
  • Jason Kander is currently the Secretary of State for Missouri
  • Kander is Missouri born with a military background
  • He has received vocal support from other Missouri political leaders, including, Senator Claire McCaskill, and Governor Jay Nixon
Concerns for Blunt
  • Jason Kander is a young and energetic guy who brings new ideas to the table
  • Kander claims to be less partisan and claims to care less about the parties, but rather focus more on bettering the country 
  • Kander points out the Blunt may simply be making a career out of his political run and may not have the best interests for Missouri 
Support for Blunt 
  • Jason Kander does not have the experience that Roy Blunt does
  •  According to opensecret.org Roy Blunt currently has over 2 million dollars on hand 
  • Roy has been a representative for Missouri since 1997
  • Missouri in recent years has become a more stable Republican state
  • The Presidential election may help Blunt because if Missourians vote for a Republican president as predicted, they may want to be consistent with that and support Blunt 
Major Issues
  • The candidates will focus on many of the same issues that we repeatedly see in headlines and also the important geographical aspects of Missouri
  • Care for Veterans could be an important issue
    • Blunt has already advocated his support for an increase in care for our veterans
    • However Kander is a former military member and may have the edge here
  • Farming and agriculture 
    • A large part of Missouri's economy
  • Healthcare
    • It will be interesting to see the stance Kander takes on this issue because Roy has voiced his opposition of Obamacare, however, Kander will have to find a way to capture some of the conservative leaning voters 
Prediction
  • I think Blunt will have a close race in 2016.  Kander is a young guy who seems to have some influence on the Missouri people.  His first speech was given in Columbia, Missouri, and the attendance was large.  I think some Missourians would like to see a new face in office and a young guy like Kander might be the solution.  However, Blunt is a known name in Missouri and has large funding to support his campaign.  Overall I think Roy Blunt will come out with a close win.