Wanna know the answer to the House Democrats questions? Barbara Lanning.
The 36th House District (Ray and Clay Counties) has a 56% Democratic performance. It is currently held by Bob Nance. Nance is not a bad guy, but he tows the party line (kicking 200,000 people off health insurance, cutting funding to education, supporting Matt Blunt). Nance knocked off Gary Kelly in 2004 by 456 votes. Kelly was the incumbent and I am told did very little in this race. You will recall 2004 as the year John Kerry dumped our state and Democrats sat at home on election day.
Who is Barbara Lanning? For 12 years she was elected to the Lawson School Board, the city where she grew up. For 15 years she was a small business owner and for more than that was involved in the real estate business. Her husband is retired UAW from GM. She is a very nice, white-haired grandmotherly type who is spunky enough to walk the district and is passionate about child care.
What about the district in 2006? Ray County voted for Claire McCaskill 56% to 40% for Talent. Montee - 61% to 34%. Nance beat Jerry Cline by 58% to 41%. I understand that Mr. Cline was a nice person who didn't knock on doors and wasn't well known in the district. His final ethics report showed a whopping $5,974.91 for the entire election cycle.
This race is simple - if you care about education, vote Lanning. If you care only about tax cuts for corporations, vote Nance.
