The race to replace retiring Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) will get some high-profile attention next month in the form of a visit from President Obama on behalf of Democratic nominee Robin Carnahan.
According to the Kansas City Star, Obama will appear at a Carnahan fundraiser July 8. As the paper reports, the race with GOP nominee Roy Blunt “is sure to be a very expensive” and Carnahan can certainly use the cash Obama will bring.
But the visit also shows Carnahan’s willingness to stand side-by-side with the president — not exactly the most common campaign strategy for Democrats running in states that Obama lost in 2008. Carnahan also appeared with with Obama in April when he stopped in Missouri to talk about the economy, though she earlier declined to appear at an visit Obama made to the Show Me State to talk about health care.
Carnahan and Blunt are locked in a tight race so far in a state where Obama is not especially popular. The TPM Poll Average for the contest shows Blunt ahead by a margin of 47.6-42.2.
