It took months of sparring, but now that one of them has pulled out of the race, it finally happened: Jay Nixon and Matt Blunt agree on something.

Whether they realized it or not, the lame duck governor and his erstwhile rival were on the same page this week. The issue: Making sure residents don’t have to pay state taxes on the rebate checks expected to be sent out soon by Uncle Sam.

Blunt wants to protect “Missouri’s hardworking families.” Nixon is looking out for “regular Missourians.”

Either way, both issued statements Monday pushing for federal tax refunds to be exempt from state taxes.

Of course, their harmony, while rare, is not what really matters to taxpayers. In order to keep the state from collecting a portion of the tax refunds, it’s the legislature that needs to come to an agreement.

When that happens, regular Missourians, and their hardworking families, will take notice.