Nearly 300 gathered for the annual Lincoln Days event in Joplin.
JOPLIN, Mo. — For three hours on Saturday night, Joplin was the nucleus of Missouri politics.
Two U.S. Senate candidates, the Lt. Governor and probable gubernatorial candidate, a congressman and a U.S. Senator, a slew of local legislators, a guy dressed up like a Revolutionary War soldier, and nearly 300 of their closest friends were all in the room for Joplin/Newton County Lincoln Days.
And though the legislative session has hardly started in Washington, their focus was already on beating Democrats in 2012.
Senator Roy Blunt (R) took the opportunity to politically blast Senator Claire McCaskill (D), who is up for reelection next year. “She was on the other side [on health reform repeal], and she’ll be on the other side on everything else, too,” Blunt said.
Blunt introduced Lt. Governor Peter Kinder as the “next governor,” but Kinder was silent on his potential race. Instead, he blasted “ObamaClaire,” and championed his lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality, saying Missouri started “a prairie fire” in challenging the individual mandate provision of the law.
Both Republican U.S. Senate Candidates were also in attendance, marking their first joint appearance. Both Ed Martin and Sarah Steelman blasted McCaskill for ties to President Barack Obama, and both said that she has to go.
Congressman Billy Long called on attendees to get involved now, in order to win in 2012.
Republicans were gathered for the annual Jasper/Newton County Lincoln Days celebration.
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