Missouri politicos, brace yourselves. Ed Martin may be running for Congress.
Martin - a conservative political activist who formerly served as Gov. Matt Blunt's chief of staff - announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run against U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan. The St. Louis Democratic lawmaker represents a congressional district encompassing St. Louis, Jefferson County and Ste. Genevieve.
“These workers and families want leaders who will stand up for them for jobs, lower taxes, less spending and a government that lives within its means. What has become clear is that Congressman Carnahan is not listening to – or speaking for – the people he promised to represent," Martin said in a press release posted on his Web site.
"Examples include his voting record for the so-called ‘stimulus’ bill, for a massive national energy tax, and his public advocacy - in lockstep with Speaker Nancy Pelosi - for a disastrous government takeover of health care which will lead to rationing and endanger Medicare," Martin added. I have always stood up for what I believe in and I'm considering running for Congress to make a difference by standing up for our neighbors and fellow citizens in the district.”
Martin - an attorney who left Blunt's administration in the midst of a controversy over e-mail retention - has formed a number of organizations since leaving state government. He's also been involved with Missouri Roundtable for Life, a group that has grappled with state officials over ballot summary language for an item aiming to ban funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Rumblings of a congressional candidacy started when a Facebook group called "Draft Ed Martin for Congress" appeared a few months ago. As of this post, the group has 222 members.
While a battle between Carnahan and Martin could be quite entertaining, it remains to be seen whether it will be competitive. Congressional Quarterly rated Carnahan's seat as a "safe," which means "the incumbent party is virtually certain to win the seat.
I am not sure they really take into account how out of touch Russ is with the people in Jeff County. He is enough to make me go across the ballot. After backing Obama's attempt to bankrupt the coal industry and running the small business man out of town, where do I turn?
Posted by: Randy Watson | July 30, 2009 at 07:24 AM