A day after Democrat Jane Bogetto won the state House district representing Kirkwood, a Republican stronghold, with surprising ease, state Attorney General Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon announced he would file official papers to seek the office of governor.
If Nixon wins the Democratic nomination, he would challenge incumbent Gov. Matt Blunt in November 2008.
In a meeting with the Post-Dispatch editorial board, Nixon immediately went into campaign mode.
“In this step, my focus is on the people of Missouri and our incumbent governor. I just think that the time is right,” he told reporters and editors.
“It’s a harder and more difficult question for me to answer about what (the Blunt administration has) done right than what they’ve done wrong.”
In an unscientific poll at stltoday.com to which more than 1,400 people had responded to as of 10 a.m. Friday, Nixon led Blunt 72 percent to 22 percent, with 6 percent seeking another candidate.