EXCLUSIVE: The Jay Nixon Interview

Jay Nixon talks fast.

He can swiftly answer 20-minutes of questions in 12-minutes. That's on the record.

Talk to him casually, "on background" about his 2008 campaign for Governor -- that's when he really speeds up and gets animated.

Nixon is clearly amped up about a chance to take on Gov. Matt Blunt. Things look good for Nixon now. Blunt is sagging in the polls. There's whispers about a primary challenge from the right. (Nixon looks to have cleared the field on his side.) The Democratic party is energized from its 2006 wins.

But Nixon knows there's lots of time until 2008. The yet-to-be-known presidential nominees could drastically alter the landscape in Missouri. Nixon has lost previous statewide bids for U.S. Senate. There's a chance Blunt could unveil a new revolutionary Medicaid system that woos back the base and gains cred among independents. And no recent high-profile statewide race in Missouri has been a blowout.

I recently sat down with Jay Nixon for a one-on-one interview about policy and politics.

You can watch the KY3 Web/Blog Exclusive HERE.

The highlights . . .

• Nixon answers G.O.P. charges about campaign contributions from energy giant AmerenUE. "They clearly want to change the channel with what's happened with Matt Blunt," he said.
• Nixon said restoring all of the Medicaid cuts would be his top priority as Governor. He called Blunt's MissouriHealthNet, "a bumper sticker slogan for a healthcare plan that's not even complete."
• Nixon said he believes Matt Blunt is running in 2008, "if he makes it through the primary."
• Nixon said he supports some type of tax relief on social security benefits, but is concerned about "cost issues."
• Nixon said a proposed MOHELA sell-off is "fundamentally wrong," and added that "a voucher plan is dead wrong."
• On a 1998 Project VoteSmart survey where he indicated that he supported benefits for illegal immigrants . . . "I don't remember what was on that, may have to look at that. I don't remember doing it."
• A lesson from Claire McCaskill's successful run? "We're going to campaign all over the state. I think that's the one lesson from the difference between '04 and '06 for Claire McCaskill."
• Just don't ask Jay about Hillary. Would he feel comfortable with Madam Clinton on the top of the ticket in Missouri? "I think it's just far too early to say," he said.

Again, you can watch the full-interview HERE.