It has been said that in a multi-candidate race, the best spot in which to have your name is at the top of the ballot, with the second best spot being the bottom of the list. State Senator John Loudon of Chesterfield held the bottom position in the Republican race for State Auditor until latecomer Sandra Thomas, the Platte County Auditor, entered the race Tuesday on what would have been the last day of filing. To regain the bottom spot, Loudon withdrew and refiled late in the afternoon. Just before the 5pm deadline, Thomas withdrew and refiled … followed moments later by Loudon withdrawing and refiling again. As of now, Loudon’s name is last on the list. But Betsy Byers, the Co-Director of Elections with the Secretary of State’s Office, says the late activity leaves filing for the post open for a few more days – until 5pm on Friday. This stems from a Missouri law which is triggered whenever a candidate for a ballot position withdraws within 48 hours of the regular filing deadline. According to Byers, we could see any of the candidates for any of the parties withdrawing and refiling any number of times in the State Auditor’s contest. Or, we could see people who had not even entered the race tossing their hats into the ring. As a result of late candidate withdrawals in other races, filing periods for a handful of other races remain open until Friday, as well.