07.07.2008 9:41 am
A rural drive through the governor’s race
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
On Memorial Day weekend, while visiting family in rural Ozark County, I had noticed the strength of Sarah Steelman’s campaign for governor. Her TV ads were running heavily in the Ozarks, and folks were talking about them.
But after returning from a July 4th holiday weekend in the Ozarks, I noticed a different trend: signs for Kenny Hulshof. On the drive between Jefferson City and Gainesville (Home of Hootin’ and Hollarin’!), I saw several Hulshof signs, and not a single one for Steelman. Nearly ever rural county in the south central part of the state had at least one Hulshof sign up.
Does it mean anything? Who knows. At the very least it shows a campaign that took a while to pick up steam has picked up some organization.
I think you must have been looking in the wrong places. I think Kenny has been working very hard plus their money is stretched. He doesn’t have a spouse that throws in a million whenever she wants it. Go Kenny we want to see you in Jefferson City…..youhave adorable children!!!!!!
If having adorable children deserves a vote, our next governor would be a panda.
Agree with your ‘gut instinct’ on this. SW Missouri has gone over heavily to Kenny with the trend beginning 30–40 days ago, and accelerating. Kenny has come down to southcentral/southwest MO many times and has spent time talking to folks one on one. This rings true with our voters. We will work hard to be sure these voters come to the polls on August 5.
“If having adorable children deserves a vote, our next governor would be a panda”
Arguably, the funniest post on this site in a year.
The key word is “organization.” Lawn signs are symptoms of organization, not grassroots support. Hulshof has the backing of most Republican pols. Steelman’s campaign, perhaps out of necessity, is appealing directly to Republican voters with commercials stressing her independence from those very pols. If Tony is right and people are talking about them, Steelman could pull off the upset. This is a very good year to be (or be preceived as) a challenger.
As volunteers, everywhere we go putting up Kenny signs, people stop and say they support him. We have run out of yard signs as people ask if we have any. They not only want one, they want several to share with others! Kenny is on a roll because people know he will be good for Missouri. They want to be a part of his campaign. He has good moral values, he is loving and respectful to his family (as he is to the people of our state), and we will be proud to call him our leader and our governor. He will serve the people of Missouri with dignity, respect and the knowledge of what is good for our state.
I travel the state quite often and see Hulshof signs everywhere! People are proud to show their support for our next governor!