On the eve of Senator Talent formally launching his re-election campaign, a political newspaper weighs in on the signifigance of the race. Staff writer for the Washington, D.C. insider paper “Roll Call”, David Drucker, says Senator Talent’s race against challenger Claire McCaskill is a key race for the Senate. Drucker says that if Talent wins re-elections, Republicans most likely will hold on to the Senate, if only by a small margin. Drucker says both Talent and McCaskill have some big problems, being associated with some of the national leaders from each of their parties that could turn off some Missouri voters.Drucker says a knock against Talent already brought up by Democrats, the stem cell research debate, probably won’t determine the outcome. He believes issues such as the economy, gas prices, possibly even Iraq, will more likely resonate more with Missourians, although he admits being in Washington puts him a long way from hearing what Missourians are talking about every day. Drucker gives the edge, at present, to Talent in a close race, but he adds this caution: a lot could change over the summer.
