Missouri Senate Moves to Toss Up

A Republican Senate incumbent defending a seat in Missouri is not typically a candidate for the Toss Up column, even in a presidential year, but that’s exactly where first-term U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt has landed. Democratic strategists have touted their candidate, Secretary of State Jason Kander, since early in the cycle. He impressed the Democratic donor community, particularly those inside the Beltway. This both greatly aided his fundraising and gave his campaign some momentum. At 35, Kander presents a sharp generational contrast to the 66 year-old incumbent. Kander and his Democratic allies have been making the case that Blunt has been in Washington too long, and has in fact profited from his time in Congress where he spent seven terms in the House before winning an open Senate seat in 2010. They have focused especially on the fact that Blunt’s wife and three of his children work as lobbyists, calling it “the family business.” This attack has been the focus of numerous ads in which Democrats also point out that Blunt has voted 12 times for pay raises and has