The candidates, themselves, didn’t make an appearance in Jefferson City, but their representatives did. At least, representatives of most of the major presidential candidates have filed paperwork with the Secretary of State’s office to be on the primary ballot February 5th.

Tuesday was the first day for candidates to file for Missouri’s presidential preference primary. Five Republicans filed. The ballot order at present is Ron Paul, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. Hillary Clinton tops the Democratic ballot, followed by Barack Obama. Notably absent was a representative for the John Edwards campaign. The ballot order followed the normal process in Missouri. The names of those who filed on the first day were placed in a fish bowl and a random selection provided the ballot placement.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan believes the February 5th primary has raised Missouri’s profile in the presidential sweepstakes. She points out that several states are holding primaries that day. Among the states holding primaries on February 5 th are California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Carnahan expects all the announced candidates to file for the Missouri primary in the next month.

The Iowa Caucus will be held January 14 th . The date for the New Hampshire primary has yet to be set, though the Democratic National Committee set a January 22 nd date. The state prides itself on having the first-in-the-nation primary and likely will set it much earlier than that January 22 nd date.

Any candidates that file for the Missouri primary between now and the close of filing at 5pm on November 20th will be added on a first come, first serve basis.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:60 MP3)