We’re a bit late with this - busy day, plus a certain sports columnist might have crashed the server with his popularity - but on Monday U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay announced that he is endorsing State Rep. Rodney Hubbard in his bid for a State Senate seat.
âSt. Louis needs Rodney’s passion and energy in the Missouri Senate,”Clay said.
Clay emphasized several times that he wants to make sure St. Louis has a âdiverse” representation in Jefferson City, a hope that might serve as a backdrop to the upcoming Senate race - and explain why a congressman is getting involved early-on in a local race.
Veteran political observers know that before getting elected to Congress, Clay himself served in the state senate, representing the Fourth District. After he went to Washington, Clay watched as his old seat slipped out of African-American hands, amid infighting between black Democrats, namely Charles Q. Troupe and O.L. Shelton.
Fast forward six years or so, Clay saw his old seat up for grabs again, and two young African-American state reps - Yaphett El-Amin and Amber Boykins - with the ability to grab it. But that was before former Alderman Kenny Jones got in the race, making it that much easier for a hard-working Jeff Smith to benefit from a split black vote and take the seat.
Now, Clay perhaps sees a similar situation developing in the 5th District, where Hubbard is vying to replace Maida Coleman, who is facing term limits.
Set to announce a run against Hubbard is his House colleague, Rep. Robin Wright Jones. Should Hubbard and Jones both run, word has that it might provide an opening for State Rep. Tom Villa.
And there you would have the potential for history to repeat itself - competition among African-Americans creating an opportunity for a white candidate.
Only if it were to happen again in the 5th District, it would potentially mean that St. Louis, which is majority black, would be represented by three white state senators.
That context helps explain why a congressman took the unusual step of backing a candidate in a State Senate primary that is still 10 months away.
I’m not sure if Clay’s intended audience was Jones, Villa or both, but I think the subtext of his message was loud and clear.