A veteran political reporter says Mel Carnahan had considerable political skills that his formal manner often masked. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Jo Mannies covered the various campaigns of Carnahan for 10 years. She says opponents often underestimated his political skills, as did state lawmakers when Carnahan became governor in 1992. Both Mannies and Kansas City Star political reporter Steve Kraske say Carnahan was a private man who let very few reporters actually get to know him well.