JOPLIN, Mo. —
As Election Day nears, some Missouri political candidates are turning to out-of-state supporters for endorsements and fundraising.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie spoke on behalf of Dave Spence, the Republican candidate looking to unseat Gov. Jay Nixon, at a fundraiser and rally last weekend in Springfield.
A keynote speaker at the recent Republican National Convention, Christie is vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Spence is the former CEO of Alpha Packaging, a plastics manufacturer in St. Louis.
Nixon and Spence squared off in a debate Friday in Columbia and have been exchanging criticisms in commercials currently on the air.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was in Missouri on Tuesday in support of Ed Martin, GOP candidate for attorney general. Rubio spoke at a private fundraiser in the St. Louis area. The campaign later released a video of the two with Rubio saying Martin would “fight back against government overreach from Washington.”
The campaign announced that Texas Gov. Rick Perry would campaign with Martin today, joining the candidate for a business round table and meet-and-greet session in Columbia.
Jackson Day West
Democratic candidates will be featured at a Jackson Day West banquet set for Oct. 20 in Joplin.
The event will be held at the IBEW Hall at 3316 Hearnes Blvd. It will include a dinner, speeches by Democratic candidates on the state ballot, and live and silent auctions. Speakers will be announced soon, according to Jordan Overstreet, executive director of the Southwest Missouri Democrats.
Schoeller tour
State Rep. Shane Schoeller, Republican candidate for Missouri secretary of state, made stops near Joplin and other communities in the region last week as part of a Farm Values Tour. He said that if he is elected, he would work to stop unnecessary government burdens on agriculture. Schoeller, of Nixa, also announced that he had received the Missouri Farm Bureau’s 2012 Friend of Agriculture Award.
He faces Democrat Jason Kander, of Kansas City, also a state representative, in a contest for the open seat. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Democrat, is not running for re-election.
Schoeller was one of the candidates who stopped in Joplin last month to mark the opening of Republican campaign headquarters at 2727 E. 32nd St. The site became the official Joplin Victory Office for the Republican National Committee, Romney for President and the Missouri Republican Party with a ceremony on Saturday featuring state Sen. Ron Richard, of Joplin, and state Reps. Tom Flanigan, of Carthage, and Bill Reiboldt, of Neosho.
More Akin support
U.S. Rep Todd Akin is picking up more support from Southwest Missouri.
Members of the Jasper County Republican Central Committee recently voted 52-1 to reaffirm their support of Akin’s candidacy for a U.S. Senate seat.
“Congressman Akin’s many years of public service as a Missouri state representative and U.S. congressman are well-know across the state,” said John Putnam, chairman of the county committee. “His commitments to constitutional integrity and fiscal responsibility are legendary. We do not believe his candidacy should be terminated because of an inarticulate reference to medical theory. Neither should his six-second comment cause us to regard six years of terrible representation by Sen. Claire McCaskill.”
Calls for Akin to drop out of the race came after he said women who are victims of “legitimate rape” rarely get pregnant. He apologized, and since then has received support from the Missouri Farm Bureau and other groups.
Susan Redden is a staff writer for the Globe. She can be reached at sredden@joplinglobe.com or 417-623-3480, ext. 7258. Follow her on Twitter @Susan_Redden.
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Susan Redden: Candidates bring in out-of-state endorsements
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