Breaking: Sen. Kit Bond won’t seek re-election in 2010
Sen. Kit Bond, at a campaign event last year for Kenny Hulshof
Highly placed Republican sources have confirmed to Political Fix that Sen. Kit Bond, Missouri’s senior senator, won’t seek reelection in 2010.
Bond is planning to share the news with the Republican caucus this morning. His office sent out a news advisory that Bond would be making a “major announcement” before the General Assembly at 10 a.m.
The news was first reported this morning on KMOX.
National pundits had expected Missouri’s 2010 race to be among the most watched in the nation, with the best guesses being that Democrat Robin Carnahan, the secretary of state in Missouri, would face Bond. A poll put out by the liberal blog Daily Kos had Bond beating Carnahan in a close race.
Now, speculation will surely be rampant about Carnahan getting into the race, along with some of the state’s biggest name Republicans.
Politico, the online political site, sent out a blast email shortly after midnight and has a story up now. It has the text of Bond’s speech.
Bond’s decision almost guarantees that Robin Carnahan will announce shortly that she’s running for the U.S. Senate.
Kit Bond had my vote every time he ran for office. However, in recent years, I have become disillusioned over his advocacy of big spending and playing sugar daddy for Lambert Field projects. I still think he was a net plus for the state and the US due to his advocacy of good intelligence programs and strong defense. Now that he will leave office, I am hoping that Jim Talent takes another run at a Senate seat. If Talent were to run and win, we would have two Senators with strong positions on fiscal control. Both also would be strong opponents of illegal immigration.
You’ve got to be kidding! Do we really need another Carnahan, Clay, Kennedy, Gore, Bush, etc. in office? Nepotism in politics has got to stop! What makes these families think that they are somehow uniquely qualified to be the ruling class? We weren’t supposed to have royalty in this country! The electorate should be incensed that these families are so arrogant.
Wahoo!!
Eastern District U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway, a longtime Bond protege and former state House speaker, is in Jefferson City today to be the keynote speaker at Gov. Matt Blunt’s prayer breakfast.
Wonder if she will attend Bond’s appearance before the GOP caucus? And is she interested in a possible rematch with Carnahan, who defeated Hanaway in the 2004 election for secretary of state?
We had all better hope that the Republicans have an excellent candidate waiting in the wings. The last thing Missouri needs is a one party system. Absolute power corrupts; absolutely! Just look at Illinois.
Well, Bond served the state of Missouri very well and had my vote everytime. He is doing the right thing going out in good standing. I do hope Talent runs on the Republican side, but Carnahan???? Talent WILL have my vote if another Carnahan is nominated!!
Bond is now jumping off the ship he has helped sink. Good bye ole fearless Captain.
I hate to see him leave he has been fair Senator for working men and women of the state of Missouri.
Woo hoo! I’m grabbing some popcorn for the Republican civil war. Can the neocons dupe the theocons into voting for them again? stay tuned…