SIMCKES IN SPRINGFIELD: "I received the unofficial tap of Sen. Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti. They are quietly supportive of me."
DEM SOURCE: "McCaskill and Temporiti are aggressively neutral."
A highly placed Democratic source tells the KY3 Political Notebook that neither Sen. Claire McCaskill nor Party Chair John Temporiti have thrown their support behind Andria Simckes for State Treasurer -- privately or otherwise.
The source requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue and to avoid squabbling within the party.
At a small gathering in Springfield Thursday, Simckes, one of four Democratic candidates for Treasurer, told those in attendance that she had the quiet support of Sen. McCaskill and Temporiti in the primary.
"I received the unofficial tap from Sen. Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti," Simckes told the crowd. "They are quietly supportive of me."
Simckes made the comments when responding to a question about why she decided to run for Treasurer. She said when she decided to jump back into politics last fall, she sat down with party officials to explore available opportunities. "I've always been drawn towards economics and finances. The representative seat where I live was spoken for, and the Republican seat . . . no one thinks that can be won. So when I spoke with party leaders, they said they were looking for diversity," Simckes explained.
"They told me they had been actively seeking an African-American candidate for statewide office. I received the unofficial tap of Sen. Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti. They said that they'd try to clear my race, but once Blunt happened . . . and the flooded primary . . . they said there was nothing they could do," Simckes added.
She went on to add that still, even though it became a contested race, "they are quietly supportive of me."
A Democratic operative with close ties to the party said that's not true. "Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti have not made an endorsement in this race. They are aggressively neutral," the operative said.
When I asked if either had suggested to Simckes at any time that they supported her privately or in any other way, the source replied, "never."
"If there was only one candidate, of course they would've been supportive. But they never said, you're the person. If they were encouraging here before, that didn't mean they endorsed her. When different circumstances came out, then events changed. That's how this works," the operative added.
"I just need to stress that they are totally neutral," the Democratic source said.
Simckes is vying for the Democratic nomination for Treasurer with Mark Powell, Rep. Clint Zweifel of Florissant and Charles Wheeler of Kansas City.
***More on the substance of Simckes visit to come . . .
The source requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue and to avoid squabbling within the party.
At a small gathering in Springfield Thursday, Simckes, one of four Democratic candidates for Treasurer, told those in attendance that she had the quiet support of Sen. McCaskill and Temporiti in the primary.
"I received the unofficial tap from Sen. Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti," Simckes told the crowd. "They are quietly supportive of me."
Simckes made the comments when responding to a question about why she decided to run for Treasurer. She said when she decided to jump back into politics last fall, she sat down with party officials to explore available opportunities. "I've always been drawn towards economics and finances. The representative seat where I live was spoken for, and the Republican seat . . . no one thinks that can be won. So when I spoke with party leaders, they said they were looking for diversity," Simckes explained.
"They told me they had been actively seeking an African-American candidate for statewide office. I received the unofficial tap of Sen. Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti. They said that they'd try to clear my race, but once Blunt happened . . . and the flooded primary . . . they said there was nothing they could do," Simckes added.
She went on to add that still, even though it became a contested race, "they are quietly supportive of me."
A Democratic operative with close ties to the party said that's not true. "Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti have not made an endorsement in this race. They are aggressively neutral," the operative said.
When I asked if either had suggested to Simckes at any time that they supported her privately or in any other way, the source replied, "never."
"If there was only one candidate, of course they would've been supportive. But they never said, you're the person. If they were encouraging here before, that didn't mean they endorsed her. When different circumstances came out, then events changed. That's how this works," the operative added.
"I just need to stress that they are totally neutral," the Democratic source said.
Simckes is vying for the Democratic nomination for Treasurer with Mark Powell, Rep. Clint Zweifel of Florissant and Charles Wheeler of Kansas City.
***More on the substance of Simckes visit to come . . .
1 comment:
It is clear that the Missouri Democratic Party is in disarray. John Temporiti clearly recruited Simckes for this office and now it appears that he is backing down from his advances. His inability to control the Treasurer's, AG's, and Lt. Gov's races display his ineptitude and inability to manage the Party. His open fondness for Chris Koster, a man who is at complete contradiction with Jay Nixon's policies, disgust a number of loyal Democrats. He was even ubale to prevent Koster from fielding Molly Williams for the AG race, which is a complete embarrasment. His inability to prevent 4 people from jumping in the Lt. Gov race demonstrates how weak his authority is. Now, he is in a position to either come out and say he supports Simckes, even though he recruited. St. Louis folks are getting fed up with Temporiti. It's time for change.
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