Carnahan, Talent hustle to rallies as election nears

ST. LOUIS -- Jim Talent and Sen. Jean Carnahan hustled Friday to energize their core constituencies and lure crucial undecided voters, as a new poll showed Talent with an apparent lead.

The Democrat Carnahan spoke to about 200 gatherers who greeted her during a St. Louis union hall rally with a standing ovation.

She later Friday was to appear at a Hannibal coffee shop, while Talent, her Republican challenger, made campaign stops in Joplin, Hannibal, Columbia and St. Louis as their closely watched race pressed closer to Tuesday's election.

The stretch-run politicking came against the backdrop of a new poll, released Friday, that showed Talent slightly ahead of Carnahan, with a 12 percent of voters surveyed still undecided.

The poll, by The Kansas City Star's marketing research department in conjunction with the Market Research Institute, showed 46 percent of respondents favoring Talent to 41 percent for Carnahan.

The poll had a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The survey of 601 likely voters was conducted from Oct. 23 through Wednesday.

The candidates are running for the final four years of a six-year Senate term. Carnahan was appointed to the Senate after her husband, Gov. Mel Carnahan, defeated GOP Sen. John Ashcroft in 2000, just weeks after the governor's death in a plane crash.

Talent, an ex-congressman from suburban St. Louis, was narrowly defeated by Democrat Bob Holden in that year's gubernatorial election.

Both campaigns have pressed the importance of Tuesday's Missouri race in perhaps deciding which party controls the Senate, now comprised of 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats, one independent who votes with the Democrats, and a vacancy created by Minnesota Democrat Paul Wellstone's death in a plane crash last week.

Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer said Talent also talked about his experience in Washington, and about jobs, health care, and national security.

The race has drawn close attention from high-profile figures in both parties. Vice President Dick Cheney appeared with Talent on Thursday in Cape Girardeau, two days after former President George Bush joined Talent at a Springfield rally. President Bush is due Monday in St. Charles, his fifth visit to Missouri during the Senate campaign.

Mrs. Carnahan campaigned Thursday with Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman -- the party's vice presidential nominee in 2000 -- a day after appearing with ex-Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey, the Missouri native who ran for president two years ago.

------

On the Net:

Talent campaign, http://www.talentforsenate.com

Carnahan campaign: http://www.jeancarnahan.com