UPDATED: Strategy sessions seek first statewide office for blacks
JEFFERSON CITY — Black elected officials will meet Friday to brainstorm about African-American candidates who could step into Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s shoes if she is elected to the U.S. Senate next year.
The meeting, organized by Sen. Robin Wright-Jones, D-St. Louis, is set for 3 p.m. in the conference room at the Drake Plaza in St. Louis. Wright-Jones said more than a dozen black elected officials have been invited.
Carnahan is expected to be the Democratic nominee for Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond’s seat. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is running for the GOP nomination, though he may not have the Republican field to himself. Former Treasurer Sarah Steelman has discussed the possibility of running.
Wright-Jones said Friday is just the first strategy session. She hopes to have a consensus on a candidate by July, when the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus holds it annual conference in Kansas City.
Oddly, this release was distributed through the Senate’s communications office, which normally avoids political overtones in its news releases.
UPDATE: While taxpayers did pay for the news release, it came from Jordan Yount, communications director for the Senate Minority Caucus, not the Senate Communications Office.
It would be great to see Mike McMillan or Lewis Reed on a statewide ballot.
Mike McMillan???? Get real, if he could run for Mayor what makes you think he has the fortitude to run for statewide. Lewis Reed cant do it either. Neither of those guys are remotely close to the politician Alan Wheat was and he got destroyed.
I’ll give you of blacks that could do it realistically:
David Steward
Ronnie White
Kelvin Simmons
Martin Rucker
Rueben Shelton (thats a longer shot though)
Besides those guys the pickings are slim. And no offense, but Robin Wright Jones leading the charge, I am thoroughly not convinced that this will go much past two or three planning meetings. Assuming Robin Carnahan wins that is a gubernatorial appointment. Why would Jay Nixon allow himself to be boxed in by the black community (who he feels he can win without anyway?). Secondly, this is already being done hap-hazardly giving a statement like this to the media only breeds resentment amongst the white community, thats exactly what you have to avoid. This sort of thing should be done behind closed doors and negotations with Jay Nixon not in the open for the critics to throw stones at (unfortunately, on both ends). Third if the appointment were to happen Jay would have to appoint someone who could get re-elected and raise the necessary funds to do so.
This would be an appointment to fill the remaining two years of Robin Carnahan’s term as SOS. You would have to have an appointee who can hit the ground running, raise money and profile for re-election in 2012 and not have any baggage. Of the names listed, Kelvin Simmons is the most qualified and experienced.
To Black Democrat: Word.
“Oddly, this release was distributed through the Senate’s communications office, which normally avoids political overtones in its news releases.”
The release was sent by the Senate Minority Caucus communications director. Members of Senate Communications are on the caucus email list and may have sent the release a second time, but it did not originate with them.
This type of public so-called strategizing doesn’t seem like a smart idea. Nixon hasn’t yet struck me as having anything near the steadfast and courageous timber that Sec. of State Carnahan’s late father had. Nixon seems like the type who would take this type of preliminary political shell game as an implicit threat against him if she does win next November—’appoint a black person as Secretary of State or else’ Nixon may be a Democrat, but black politicians of any stripe have never had permanent friends, just convenient drinkin’ buddies around election time.
I’m proposing Maida Coleman, Irene Smith or either Rev. Elston McCowan. Anyone who stands up to the mayor of St. Louis and his friends have my vote. Its a shame that in a state with two major urban cities, St. Louis and Kansas City, (both with large African American populations), blacks can’t win one state wide office. All you have to do is tell the dems that you will stay home (no real suprise) if you can’t get an African American appointed to be the SOS if Robin Carnahan wins the Senate seat.
According to his own memo Elbert Walton Jr. is the political mind that people fear the most. Maybe we should consult him
There is only one AA who has proven that they can cross over and get votes from around the state. She ran unexpectedly well last fall and can count already on over 70-80 thousand constituants, something none of these others can say.