Governor Blunt in bad spot for re-election
Patrick Greene
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Voices
- Page 1 of 1
It only takes a casual look at the headlines over the past few months to understand that Matt Blunt is in trouble. Facing criticism and heavy fire from all sides of the political spectrum, Blunt might be looking at only a single term as Missouri's governor.
Blunt began his term by cutting several social welfare programs, particularly those related to health care, out of the state budget, earning the wrath of liberal Democrats in the legislature and critics in the press. Blunt followed that by spearheading several anti-abortion measures, even calling the legislature into a special session to pass new laws regarding abortion access for minors; among other things, the new legislation allows lawsuits to be brought against individuals who assist minors in dodging Missouri's strict abortion laws.
At the same time Blunt alienated much of his conservative base by vigorously supporting the stem cell amendment approved in 2006, a measure that found its deepest support amongst Democrats. In fact, Claire McCaskill backed the initiative along with Blunt and turned it into a winning issue that arguably gave her the edge over Jim Talent, who opposed the amendment.
Jay Nixon so far has been a high-profile attorney general for the state who has made his name in press conferences as much as in the courtroom. He's been running an active campaign for governor for well over a year and it's showing in the polls.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published one poll recently showing Nixon ahead of Blunt 51-42 in a hypothetical general election race. Worse, Blunt has an alarmingly high 53% unfavorable rating among those surveyed.
If he wants to get re-elected, Matt Blunt had better get to mending fences with his base. After that, he has to run a nearly flawless re-election campaign, or else he'll be out of a job this time next year.
Blunt began his term by cutting several social welfare programs, particularly those related to health care, out of the state budget, earning the wrath of liberal Democrats in the legislature and critics in the press. Blunt followed that by spearheading several anti-abortion measures, even calling the legislature into a special session to pass new laws regarding abortion access for minors; among other things, the new legislation allows lawsuits to be brought against individuals who assist minors in dodging Missouri's strict abortion laws.
At the same time Blunt alienated much of his conservative base by vigorously supporting the stem cell amendment approved in 2006, a measure that found its deepest support amongst Democrats. In fact, Claire McCaskill backed the initiative along with Blunt and turned it into a winning issue that arguably gave her the edge over Jim Talent, who opposed the amendment.
Jay Nixon so far has been a high-profile attorney general for the state who has made his name in press conferences as much as in the courtroom. He's been running an active campaign for governor for well over a year and it's showing in the polls.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published one poll recently showing Nixon ahead of Blunt 51-42 in a hypothetical general election race. Worse, Blunt has an alarmingly high 53% unfavorable rating among those surveyed.
If he wants to get re-elected, Matt Blunt had better get to mending fences with his base. After that, he has to run a nearly flawless re-election campaign, or else he'll be out of a job this time next year.
Article last update: 11/27/07 at 6:07 PM CST
Be the first to comment on this story