Bond attracts support from KC Democrats

The Missouri Democratic Party has not yet announced a challenger to oppose Republican Sen. Kit Bond for re-election in 2004, but Bond is attracting support from some prominent Democrats.

Democratic leaders in Kansas City, Mo., hosted a fund-raising reception Friday evening for Bond's campaign.

According to the invitation obtained Saturday by The Associated Press, co-hosts included Mayor Kay Barnes, state Reps. Melba Curls and Yvonne Wilson, City Council members Alvin Brooks, Troy Nash and Mary Williams-Neal and Ron Stewart, mayor of Independence, Mo.

Held at the home of Kansas City businessman Tom McDonnell and his wife, Jean, the event attracted about 60 supporters, nearly all of them Democrats, according to one of the organizers, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It's no surprise that Kansas City Democrats would support the three-term senator and former governor. Bond's election performance there has been better than other Republicans'; he won heavily Democratic Jackson County in his 1998 re-election bid.

"Kit's always just set the standard for Republicans in Kansas City," said John Hancock, executive director of the Missouri GOP. "But I do think that as Democrats are scurrying about desperately trying to dredge up a candidate, the fact that very prominent Democrats in Kansas City are stepping forward publicly to announce support for Kit Bond just speaks volumes about what an effective leader he has been."

Several of those at Friday's reception backed Bond in 1998, when he defeated Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon by a margin of 53 percent to 44 percent.

'Jumping back on board'

The state Democratic Party spokesman, Mike Kelley, dismissed the reception as "just politicians scratching each other's backs.

"I don't know if it's pork paybacks or that there is no announced Democratic candidate right now and Mayor Barnes and others are just trying to protect their backs for political pork," Kelley said. "When our candidate announces, you'll see them all jumping back on board and back with the Democratic Party."

Kelley said the Democrats have a candidate but that he could not reveal the identity.

Bond serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and is chairman of the subcommittee that controls federal housing dollars. He has secured millions of dollars for housing in Kansas City and other Missouri communities.

Hancock dismissed the idea that someone is waiting in the wings to challenge Bond. If there were, he said, Democrats would be raising money for that person and not for Bond.