Instant front runner? Storch to seek Smith’s Senate seat
Storch
ST. LOUIS — The nascent race to fill the State Senate set left by Jeff Smith has been, so far, a race of near equals.
But will the newest contender pull to the front of the pack?
State Rep. Rachel Storch said today that she is officially putting her name in contention, a move that helps to somewhat clear up the hazy political picture left by Smith’s resignation and conviction for lying to the feds.
“I’m in,” Storch said today. “I’m speaking to committee members and trying to gain their support.”
Storch, who turns 37 on Saturday, matches the profile ward leaders are looking for in a new Senator. Storch — who’s been an aide to Democrats including Jean Carnahan and Ken Jacob – has enough political experience to be an effective advocate for St. Louis in the State Senate.
She also has enough crossover appeal, and fundraising prowess, to be re-elected to a full term in 2010.
Elected to the State House in 2004, Storch currently represents Dogtown and other neighborhoods surrounding Forest Park.
Her bid is likely to replace any support earlier thrown to 28th Ward Committeeman Joe Keaveny. (As a committeeman, though, Keaveny would have a vote in who replaces Smith.)
Storch’s State House colleague Jamilah Nasheed and T.D. El-Amin have also announced their intentions to replace Smith in a district that covers about half of St. Louis.
Gov. Jay Nixon has called a special election for Nov. 3. However, the winner of the race is almost certain to be the Democratic nominee chosen by ward leaders.
Good luck Rachel, great State Rep. Met her during my time interning in J.C. She will make a darn good Senator, very, very intelligent woman. Should be good for St. Louis.
Any relation to Larry?
What is this commentary doing in an objective “news” item??
“Storch — who’s been an aide to Democrats including Jean Carnahan and Ken Jacob – has enough political experience to be an effective advocate for St. Louis in the State Senate.
“She also has enough crossover appeal, and fundraising prowess, to be re-elected to a full term in 2010.”
It must be comforting for liberals to have the Post-Disgrace vouch that you can be “an effective advocate for St. Louis” so that the voters don’t have to be troubled with making such judgments!
[That may not have come out exactly as I intended. The point I was trying to make is that Dems are looking for someone who fits the bill politically, but also has enough experience to do battle for them in Jeff City on policy issues, such as tax credits, vital to the city's interest. -- JAKE]
Jake,
If that is what you intended, you failed. To me this reads like an endorsement and you can bet it will be used to sway committee members. The article contains biased speculation (example: there is no foundation for why you think Storch will take away any support thrown to Keaveny). I respect your ability to bring fresh political stories, but this one crosses the line in certain ethical respects. It probably just needs more facts to fill in the perceived bias.
A couple of weeks ago, the regular P-D business columnist, David Nicklaus, did a similar ‘is-it-one-or-the-other’ piece on the Show-Me Institute’s comparison study of the allegedly negative economic effect of Missouri’s income tax on business and population retention as opposed to neighboring sales tax-only Tennessee. Like Nicklaus’ writing then, Wagman’s use of certain phrases like ‘effective advocate’ seem to skirt the edge of objective reportage before dropping into Bill McClellan opinion territory.
Hey Jake, I have to agree with two of the earlier posts that your article is really more of an endorsement than simply an objective piece. While two of the previous posts pointed out examples of that in your article, I’ll point out another one: You stated that Storch’s announcement is “a move that helps to somewhat clear up the hazy political picture left by Smith’s resignation and conviction for lying to the feds”. How does the entry of ANOTHER contestant clear up the hazy picture? Seems to make it cloudier. Unless, of course, one assumes (which I think you do) that Storch is so much better than the other people who have declared that all of the support will go her way. In that case, it’s far from an objective piece; it’s your subjective conclusion that she is that much better than the others. Very disappointing piece.
The headline would seem to be the clearest bias. Is Storch better than TD or Jamilah somehow?
way to go with the objective reporting, jake. why don’t you go ahead and flat out endorse Storch while you’re at it?
oh, and also, the st. louis beacon beat you guys to the story again. i hardly read this blog anymore because by the time you guys post your stories, i’ve already read about them on jo mannies’s blog.
A person with legitimate credentials wants to be Senator, Thank You Rachel.
Although I think any of those interested in replacing Jeff Smith would be good (and an improvement over Smith), Rachel Storch is in a different league than the others in terms of ability to raise funds, intelligence, and ability to work Jefferson City. That is why she is likely now the favorite.