Race For AG Features Veteran Against Political Newcomer

The Republican challenger for state Attorney General hopes to pull off what would be seen by many as an upset over the three-term incumbent Democrat. But the incumbent dismisses his challenger as inexperienced and shallow. Democrat incumbent Jay Nixon says he should remain Attorney General because of his committment to upholding the law, no matter if it was backed by his own party or the Republicans. But Republican challenger Chris Byrd says Nixon has demonstrated that the Attorney General has not always acted in a non-partisan manner as shown by how Nixon handled the partial-birth abortion case after it had passed over the Democrat governor’s veto. Nixon points out he has defended Republicans’ causes in opposition to his own party’s wishes. He calls Byrd’s attacks the “shallowest” he’s ever gone up against and Nixon says Byrd lacks any experience. Byrd points out he’s been a lawyer for about as long as Nixon was when he first became Attorney General 12 years ago.