It’s been a year since the death of Governor Mel Carnahan in a plane crash south of St. Louis. Some political experts believe that plane crash turned the election. Incumbent U.S. Senator John Ashcroft was squaring off against against Governor Carnahan in an extremely close race. University of Missouri political science professor Rick Hardy says Ashcroft probably would have won that race had the plane not gone down. It remains to be seen how the crash plays into next year’s Senate race between Republican Jim Talent and likely Democrat opponent – incumbent Senator Jean Carnahan.
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