Forty-eight hours after Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., announced he would not seek re-election next year, state Democrats are scrambling to recruit a heavyweight contender for his seat.
As of Thursday morning, all Democrat eyes in the Show-Me State were on Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, 36, as a potential candidate.
In a statement noting the historic nature of the election, the mayor of Missouri’s largest city noted he rises each day wondering how best he can serve his city and state "and I will consider over the next several weeks whether that is in a statewide position – something no African-American has ever done.”
The only Black nominee for statewide office was Rep. Alan Wheat, D, also a Kansas City resident, who lost a U.S. Senate race in 1994 to John Ashcroft, R, former governor and future U.S. attorney general.
Soon after Blunt, 71, made official his retirement, both former Sen. Claire McCaskill, R-Mo., and 2016 Democrat nominee Jason Kander ruled out a race for the open seat.
Kander, who lost to Blunt by a tight 49 to 46 percent as Donald Trump was sweeping the state, was an announced candidate for mayor of Kansas City in 2018. But he dropped out of the race, citing concerns about his mental health.
As for a bid for Blunt’s seat, the former secretary of state and U.S. Army intelligence officer cited his commitment to an organization known as "Let America Vote" and dedicated to ending what it considers "voter suppression."
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