Former representative could challenge Robb for seat
Published Sept. 21, 2007
Before he officially announced his decision Wednesday to run in the 24th District, Rep. Ed Robb, R-Columbia, hinted to Columbia Daily Tribune reporter Jason Rosenbaum that he was seeking a third term in the state House of Representatives.
"I said 'Tell Jason 24, he'll know what it means,'" Robb said. "I just wanted to see if he was paying attention, and he was."
Rosenbaum speculated in his blog Tuesday whether Robb would run for reelection.
The official announcement dispelled rumors that Robb would challenge Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, for the 19th District senate seat.
Robb said he was running for reelection in the 24th District because he feels there is much work to still be done by the legislature, specifically right-to-work issues and tax reform.
"In a lot of states that surround Missouri, you don't have to work with unions," he said.
Robb said this means that there are other states where manufacturers could set up more easily.
"We need to make sure the next generation has jobs," he said. "Whatever it takes, we need to make sure it happens."
Former Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, who recently retired as a Boone County judge, will most likely challenge Robb.
"I'm almost certainly going to run in the 24th legislative district," Kelly said Thursday.
Kelly said there were several issues that spurred him out of retirement.
"There is a significant problem in that the extremist wing of the Republican Party is involved in a full scale attack on the University of Missouri," he said. "Somebody needs to stand up for the university."
Kelly said some of these attacks included the threatening of MU's research capabilities and academic freedom, as well as pushing to provide larger student loans to private university students rather than public university students. He said these actions stood to lose Missouri its good scientists and the economic advantages they bring.
"I was a good legislator, but I can't do what they can do," he said. "I can make it possible for them to do their job. I will do my best to defeat legislation that carries with it restrictions on research."
Kelly said elementary and secondary education are also a concern, as the legislature recently adopted a funding formula that provides relatively less money for local school districts.
"I think the representative from this area has the responsibility to stick up for the Columbia and Ashland school districts," he said.
Kelly said the atmosphere of the government is "poisonous," and he hopes to restore more positive relations.
Robb said he wasn't sure whether he or his opponent held the upper hand.
"It'll be an interesting race, that's for sure," he said.
Kelly said he didn't feel an advantage over Robb.
"He's the incumbent," Kelly said. "The incumbency is an advantage."
But Kelly did say that his friends and support in the area and on campus would make him competitive.
Robb said he felt there were distinct differences between his political beliefs and Kelly's.
"Mr. Kelly is what I'd refer to as a tax-and-spend Democrat," Robb said. "That'll get a lot of press."
Robb said the state budget was currently in excess of $22 billion, and the state needed to be more careful about when they raised taxes.
"At some point, you have to decide if you can live within your means," he said.
Robb said he believed it came down to a philosophical debate about how big the government should be.
"I'm a firm believer government should be as small as possible," he said.
Kelly reiterated his willingness to run the election with a limit to campaign spending. He said big money caused corruption and caused candidates to be more concerned with raising money than communicating with voters.
"We don't need a law to do it," he said. "We could do it on a gentlemen's agreement. We'd be doing our society a favor."
Robb did not share the same view on the limits, though.
"That's crazy," he said. "Your objective is to get your message out, and you do whatever you can to do that."
Robb said it is expensive to run a campaign in Columbia, because TV and radio rates match Kansas City and St. Louis.
"It'll be hotly contested," Robb said. "You'll see hundreds of thousands spent on this one."
Kelly does not plan to simply sit back and do nothing, either.
"I will limit my campaign to any number Ed chooses," he said. "But if he doesn't limit it, I'll swing for the fences."