He’s down, but not necessarily out, as far as influence goes. The fourth-place finish in the Iowa Caucus has forced St. Louis Congressman Richard Gephardt to drop out of the presidential race. University of Missouri political scientist Rick Hardy says the departure of Gephardt opens up Missouri’s February 3rd primary. Now, Hardy says Missouri should expect to see a lot more of the other presidential candidates as they try to snap up the 88 Democrat convention delegates the Show-Me State has, the largest of any of the seven states holding primaries that day. And, Hardy says nobody should be surprised if Democrats end up drafting Gephardt into running against Republican Senator Christopher Bond. Democrat Nancy Farmer has already announced, but Hardy says some party insiders worry she doesn’t have the fire it might take to beat Bond.
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