Congressman Roy Blunt
Long-time Congressman Roy Blunt hopes to keep the United States Senate seat occupied by Senator Bond in Republican hands.
Bond, one of Missouri’s longest serving politicians, announced earlier that he would retire from the United States Senate after three terms. The announcement then set into motion much political maneuvering which only grew in intensity as pitched battles between Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D. C. only emphasized the importance of the seat. Republicans in the US Senate have barely enough seats to maintain filibusters on the Senate floor, preventing Democrats from moving on major pieces of legislation.
Congressman Roy Blunt has served southwest Missouri since first elected to Congress in 1996. His political campaign began in Greene County in Springfield, where he served as County Clerk. He won election twice as Missouri Secretary of State, but failed in his bid for the Republican nomination for governor in 1992.
Blunt says this is an important campaign and not just for Missouri.
“We’re going to see time after time, particularly in the next two or three years, one and two senators deciding whether the country goes down a path that most Missourians think is the wrong path for our country,” Blunt tells the Missourinet. “I intend to be there offering alternatives that make sense to Missourians.”
Nine Republicans have filed in the US Senate race. Prominent among Blunt’s Republican opponents is State Senator Chuck Purgason of Caulfield.
Blunt, though, is looking past the primary and toward the general election…and a likely match-up with Democrat Robin Carnahan.
“Missourians understand and people around the country understand that, again, these senate seats are going to determine in ways that we have not seen in a long time the future of our country,” Blunt says.
Blunt says that if the race is decided on issues, he wins. He says that Missourians don’t favor cap and trade legislation, because they know it will hurt states as dependant on coal as Missouri. Blunt contends that Missourians don’t favor the health care overhaul legislation being pushed by President Obama and have grave worries about the increased levels of spending under Democrats in Congress.
Blunt has the backing of the State Republican establishment which gave him prominent attention during Lincoln Days in St. Charles this past weekend. Blunt raised $1.3 million dollars in the 4th Quarter of last year, which brought his campaign total to nearly $3 million.
AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [1:30]
