KELLY SAYS SHE IS CLOSING ON CARNAHAN

State Auditor Margaret Kelly said she is closing the gap in her gubernatorial race against incumbent Democrat Mel Carnahan.

"I am very encouraged," Kelly said during a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau Wednesday. "We are still very much in the ballgame."

She said recent polling numbers indicate she has cut into Carnahan's lead.

Despite being heavily outspent by Carnahan, the Republican candidate said her message is getting through to the voters.

Kelly said voters have a clear choice. Carnahan, she said, is the candidate of high taxes and big government.

Kelly said she favors less government and wants to cut taxes by $640 million.

She said Carnahan lied to the voters. She said he promised to let voters decide about a tax increase for education, but then turned around and pushed through a huge tax increase.

She said the governor claims that a court ruling required the massive tax hike. But she said the judge in the school-funding case never ordered a tax hike.

Missourians are unhappy with Carnahan's administration, Kelly said.

Kelly said Carnahan's education policies have taken local control away from the schools and put more money into the education bureaucracy in Jefferson City.