The tale of two rural, conservative, incumbent Democrats in the Ozarks had different endings this election season.
Rep. Charlie Dake of the #132nd district was ousted by Republican Don Ruzicka 52-48%.
Ruzicka won by 577 votes. The Democrats complained of dirty campaign tactics by Republicans to win the Lawrence County seat. Republicans said Dake wasn't anti-abortion enough, even though Dake has said he's pro-life and opposed to embryonic stem cell research.
"The Missouri Republican Party has attacked Charles Dake with misleading information and used Project Vote Smart's name to give these accusations credibilityy," a Dake press release claimed the day before the election. "By using the Project's name to give credibility to these attacks, the Missouri Republican Party is cheating the public out of their need for trusted, abundant, accurate, factual information."
Up in District #16, in the Rolla area, the fight for the State Senate seat also seemed to get pretty ugly. Sen. Frank Barnitz survived a strong challenge from Republican Susie Snyders. Barnitz beat Snyders 52-48%, a difference of 2,835 votes.
"My opponent littered this campaign with deceitful messages and negative advertisements. I am especially proud of my supporters for not lowering to that level when the temptation was so great. I believe that says more about the character of the people of this district and my supporters than a campaign ever could," Barnitz said in a statement following Snyders concession.
Looking at recent history, it seems that Senate District #16 and House District #132 are the two most competitive legislative seats in the Ozarks. Republicans always claimed that Dake's special election win was a fluke due to low voter turnout. But it will be interesting to watch if Democrats try to re-target that district again. Barnitz would seem to be safer next time around, unless the Republicans field a stronger, more articulate candidate. Politicos on both sides have said Snyders public speaking gaffes (captured on YouTube) probably hurt her with small town voters from both parties.
Either way, while I focused much of my attention on Springfield legislative races this cycle, I'm now sitting here thinking I should've been up in Rolla and out in Lawrence County more.
2 comments:
I have known Charlie Dake since he late 60's. He is progressive on many issues, but like any large animal veterinarian, who is intimately associated with the most "common" of common people, the farmers and ranchers, he was sadly mischaracterized during this race.
The ads that I saw had very little to do with the thoughts of Dake. They were a Rupublican appeal to fear, ignorance, and the real obstuctionists in our state, the Republicans in the State House and Senate.
I hope Snyder was enough of a man to call Dake after the election and apologise for doing to him what he thought he had to do to win an election.
It's one thing to see dirty politics from the top of the ticket down. But now it has moved into Lawrence County. Ruzicka would probably have won anyway in this stronghold of the Republican Party. I was proud of the race Doc Dake ran unlike the lowdown race race Ruzicka and The Missouri Republican Party ran. Enjoy your win. But excuse me while I gloat about the thumping the Republican Party received across much of the rest of the country.
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