Rep. Russ Carnahan files for primary against Rep. Lacy Clay in Missouri
Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) filed Tuesday to challenge Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) in a primary.
Carnahan’s 3rd district was decimated by redistricting last year, leaving him to choose between running against Clay in his St. Louis-based 1st district, in the open but Republican-leaning 2nd district, or for another office.
With the filing deadline approaching, Carnahan announced he will wage an uphill battle against Clay in a Democratic-leaning district.
“These are the maps we have today,” Carnahan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I made it clear over a year ago that I’m running for reelection regardless of how the maps turn out.”
The new district is more than two-thirds of Clay’s current district and less than one-third of Carnahan’s. The other parts of Carnahan’s district were divvied up between the new 2nd district, where former Republican National Committee co-chairwoman Ann Wagne r is favored to succeed Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), and the new 3rd district, where Rep. Blaine Leutkemeyer (R-Mo.) is running for reelection.
The state lost one district due to lack of growth over the last decade, and with Carnahan’s seat getting axed, Leutkemeyer’s 9th district will be re-numbered as the 3rd.
When it was drawn, Carnahan reportedly lashed out at his colleagues — including Clay — for throwing him under the bus. The new map was supported by Clay and the state’s other Democratic congressman, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
The Carnahan-Clay matchup is just the latest between sitting members of Congress. Redistricting has now pitted a dozen incumbents against one another.
The first will take place next week, when Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) face each other on Super Tuesday.
Tags
- Spam
- Obscene
- Duplicate
Blog Contributors
Chris Cillizza
Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider’s Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.
Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country’s leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.
Ed O’Keefe
Ed O’Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.
Aaron Blake
Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for “The Fix,” the Post’s top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.
Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan covers national politics for “The Fix.” Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline’s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.
Scott Clement
Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.
Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.
Latest Tweets
@GlennThrush did u take your contacts out?
Another fan of pleading the Fifth: Dave Chapelle -- http://t.co/4G3YCo3ICF
As @AaronBlakeWP notes, Senate hearings generally include fewer theatrics compared to House hearings: http://t.co/MFIOAuVVnm
Loading...
Comments