Carnahan joins local Dems to celebrate victories

Boone County Democrats held their annual chili supper Monday night.

By Ryan Schmitz

Published Jan. 26, 2009

The Boone County Democratic Party held its annual chili supper Monday night at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Columbia, celebrating its local and national victories in the November elections.

"For so many years, we haven't had a lot of hope," Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who spoke at the event, said. "All of a sudden, we've got a leader who's ready to inspire that again. I'm honored to be able to be a part of it with our governor and our president."

In addition to sending President Barack Obama to the White House and Jay Nixon to the Missouri Governor's Mansion, the Democrats scored victories at the state and local levels.

Former Republican state senator Chris Koster switched parties in 2007 and succeeded Nixon as attorney general, and Carnahan was re-elected as secretary of state. In the Missouri House of Representatives, Stephen Webber won the 23rd House District, while Chris Kelly took the 24th House District and Mary Still won the 25th House District. Also, voters chose Clint Zweifel as state treasurer and Cathy Richards as Boone County public administrator. Event organizers underscored the importance of these Democratic victories in low-profile contests and the larger races.

"Local races put everything right in your backyard," Perche Township Committeewoman Patti Osgood, who planned the celebration, said. "Meeting your representatives in person makes you want to get out and recruit support for them. It makes you feel good, because your candidates know all the hard work you've done." Boone County Democratic Party Chairman Scott Christianson agreed with Osgood, and said local officers are just as important as high-profile national candidates.

"Those people make a lot of decisions that affect our lives," he said. "Most of the media attention goes to up-ticket races, so it's hard for down-ticket candidates to break through the chatter. We provide support so they can be heard."

Although Obama defeated John McCain nationwide to win the presidency, a slim majority of Missouri residents voted against the Democratic candidate. McCain defeated Obama by 3,903 votes in Missouri, the first time since 1956 the state did not vote for the national winner. The result and margin came as a surprise to many, given Nixon's win of nearly 20 points against Republican candidate and former U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof in the gubernatorial race.

Osgood said a major reason for these opposite results was that Nixon's long tenure as attorney general made him a household name throughout the state, but Obama was a relative unknown until recently.

"Jay Nixon has been running for public office for 16 years," she said. "He's so well-known in Missouri. If everybody would've been able to meet Obama, the outcome might have been different." All of Missouri's nine seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be up for election in 2010, and one Senate seat will be open because U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said he will not run again. Local Democrats view the midterm elections as a chance to pick up seats at the local, state and national levels.

"I think Robin Carnahan would be an excellent candidate (for the U.S. Senate)," Christianson said. "If we end up having a long primary fight, that could hurt us. If we can avoid a drawn-out primary, I like our chances."