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Talent no longer a sure bet for Senate race
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| Contributor | TX DEM |
| Last Edited | TX DEM Jan 12, 2011 12:10am |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Wednesday, January 12, 2011 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The once likely candidacy of Jim Talent for U.S. Senate in Missouri is no longer a safe bet.
In fact, Republican insiders are now hedging against it.
While close advisers initially signaled Talent would settle on a decision by the end of 2010, it's apparent an announcement has been put off and Republicans in the Show-Me state are increasingly concluding he may not have the stomach for another grueling campaign.
"He's not communicating with party insiders and those who typically help solidify a candidate this far out. In fact, most of them have said they've called him. He's not calling them," said one GOP operative who considers Talent a friend.
The official line is that the former senator is still mulling his options, but this week's overseas trip with likely presidential candidate Mitt Romney has further fueled the theory that Talent might be more comfortable in an advisory role on a national campaign than as the principal in his own.
In fact, when asked about a potential comeback bid, a spokesperson for Talent repeatedly cited "a number of other options for the future, including possible service in a future administration."
But multiple Missouri sources also tell POLITICO that the early surprise entrance of former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman into the contest caught Talent off guard and forced him to rethink a run.
It's not that he doesn't believe he couldn't best Steelman in a primary -- it's whether taking up a bruising intra-party fight before a rough-and-tumble general election with Sen. Claire McCaskill would be worth the time, energy and resources.
"The primary bothers him. He saw how broke and battered [Kenny] Hulshof was in August and he doesn't want to be forced to take positions out of the mainstream," said another Missouri source who has had conversations with those close to Talent.
Steelman mounted a bruising campaign against former Rep. Hulshof in the 2008 gubernatorial primary that divided the party and ultimately lead |
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