Another Republican jumping ship
Chris Benjamin, who until recently was a top Republican aide in the Missouri House, is expected to announce next week that he will run for the state Senate – as a Democrat.
Benjamin will make an announcement on Monday, according to state Sen. Chris Koster, who will accompany Benjamin on a campaign swing. Koster said Benjamin will seek the 31st District seat in western Missouri that Koster is vacating to run for attorney general.
Benjamin, a lawyer, was chief of staff to House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, until late last year. Neither Benjamin nor Jetton could be reached Thursday.
In switching parties, Benjamin would follow a path set by Koster, who became a Democrat in August.
Benjamin “comes from a labor family, has working class roots,” Koster said. “And I think he believes that the right wing of the Republican Party has shifted too far and has lost its ability to center itself.”
The 31st District is often viewed as a swing district. It was represented for years by conservative Democrat Harold Caskey.
Rep. David Pearce of Warrensburg is expected to seek the Republican nomination for the seat.
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Yawn.