By Derek Spellman
dspellman@joplinglobe.com
Congressional hopeful Jack Goodman unfurled a roster of legislative supporters Friday, announcing a majority of state lawmakers representing the district have already thrown their support behind him.
Goodman, a state senator from Mount Vernon, is one of five Republicans bidding for the party nomination to succeed U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt in 2010. His campaign rolled out its first batch of endorsements Friday — a day after Goodman’s Senate colleague Gary Nodler noted his candidacy for the 7th District seat.
During a press conference at a Joplin hotel, Goodman said he had already enlisted the support of several dozen state and local officials representing areas in the district, including Rep. Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho; Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin; and Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar.
Wilson introduced Goodman on Friday as “the next congressman from the 7th District” and “a very good friend of mine” before hailing Goodman’s “quiet leadership” in the state Legislature and his commitment to “family values.”
“We need to have leaders in Washington, D.C., that understand the average citizen in the United States,” Wilson said.
When asked for comment about Goodman’s endorsements in a Friday phone interview, Nodler said: “I am not going to comment on competitors’ campaigns at all.”
He told the Globe that he would focus on his own race instead.
Goodman said after his Friday campaign event that Nodler’s entrance was “not a game changer for me.”
“We are very early in this race,” he said, noting that the field of candidates could grow.
Asked about his support for Goodman over Nodler, Wilson said Nodler would be “well-qualified for the job” but that Goodman is “the best person for the job.”
As for the endorsements, Wilson said he thought they would prompt many voters to take a strong look at Goodman since he has won the support of their local elected officials.
Miles Ross, Goodman’s campaign manager, said Friday’s endorsements should be only the first batch, consisting of people the campaign contacted and vice versa so far.
“We are going to be rolling out more endorsements, more coalitions,” Ross said.
Dovetailing to his endorsement announcement, Goodman said he plans for an extensive grass-roots infrastructure that already features leadership teams in every county and hopefully will feature 2,010 campaign volunteers by 2010.
“Our campaign is going to be about bringing our national Republican Party back to the principles that made it great,” Goodman said.
He staked out his anti-abortion stance, his support for fiscal responsibility, and his belief that marriage is “a sacred covenant between a man and a woman.” He reiterated his opposition to the federal stimulus bill.
“I think they are rapidly, rapidly racing in the wrong direction,” he said of current federal spending policies.
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