Two major candidates for United States Senate have spoken to the American Legion 92nd Annual State Convention being held this weekend in Jefferson City.

Democrat Robin Carnahan, the Secretary of State, has told delegates she entered the race for Senate, because she refuses to accept a government that supports large corporations more than middle class families. Carnahan asserts that Congress has lost touch with common sense with lobbyist money and special interests controlling its agenda. She says the expected race between her and Congressman Roy Blunt offers a stark contrast, painting Blunt as a Washington insider, criticizing the Congressman for his role in drafting the $700 billion rescue package to free-up the financial markets, which triggered the deep recession when they locked up at the end of 2008.

Blunt, a Republican Congressman from southwest Missouri, has followed Carnahan in speaking to the convention. Blunt has defended his vote earlier this year against the Defense Authorization Bill, the first time Blunt had voted against the bill. Blunt accuses Democrats in Congress, who hold the majority in both the House and Senate, of loading down the bill with unrelated subjects, such as hate crimes and repeal of the Pentagon’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Blunt says neither should have been included in the bill. Blunt says victims of crime shouldn’t be treated differently and says this is not the time to eliminate Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the military’s policy on homosexuals which allows them to serve as long as they don’t disclose their sexual orientation.

A lesser known Republican candidate, Hector Maldonado, also has addressed the convention.

AUDIO: Democrat Robin Carnahan addresses American Legion state convention [14:30 MP3]

AUDIO: Republican Roy Blunt addresses American Legion state convention [16 min MP3]