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| 11/13/2009 10:03:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | GOP candidates
miss true target
EDITORIAL
The six - count them, six - Republican candidates who have announced so far in the 4th Congressional District race seem to ignore their most important opposition in the race: each other.
The candidates have, for the most part, looked past the August primary to act as if they alone are running against the man who holds the big chair, U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. A "beat the incumbent" campaign strategy, in other primary races, makes sense when just one out of the six candidates might have name recognition. In that kind of race, the recognized candidate could take the position that he or she is Skelton's only meaningful challenger. But in this race, no one candidate stands above all others.
Former Missouri House member Vicky Hartzler is respected and well-known by religious conservatives. Bill Stouffer is a sitting state senator. Former Jefferson City Councilman Roy Viessman cannot be discounted easily in a three-way race, and not at all when the vote will be divided six ways. With six candidates in the mix - Arthur Madden of Malta Bend, Brian Riley of Marshall and James Scholz of Warrensburg are in it, too - this is anyone's race, unless one candidate does something to emerge to the forefront in the minds of Republican voters.
Running against Skelton now, when a six-way race must be won first, puts the cart before the elephant.
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