McCaskill, Blunt take campaigns for governor to opponent's turf

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Democrat Claire McCaskill kept the emphasis on her experience Thursday while Republican Matt Blunt held himself out as the best hope for change as Missouri's leading gubernatorial candidates campaigned on each other's home turf.

McCaskill campaigned in Blunt's hometown of Springfield while Blunt made numerous stops in the Kansas City area, where McCaskill previously lived.

Although two polls published Thursday showed a tight race, McCaskill said she was buoyed by the recent endorsements of newspapers in two southwest Missouri cities that typically lean Republican.

"I've got to tell you, down in this neck of the woods, you don't often think you're going to get the endorsements of the Springfield News-Leader and The Joplin Globe," McCaskill, the state auditor, told the cheering crowd at Drury University in Springfield.

Blunt, meanwhile, told a few dozen supporters in Blue Springs that a vote for him would allow true change in the state.

"Essentially it comes down to whether or not you're satisfied with the way things are going today," Blunt said during one of five Kansas City-area rallies on his campaign schedule Thursday. "If you think things are good enough, my opponent is probably your candidate. But if you want to see real change in your state, I ask for your vote."

Blunt, the secretary of state, has sought to link McCaskill to Democratic Gov. Bob Holden, whom she publicly praised after defeating him in the Aug. 3 primary.

McCaskill took the crowd of mostly students down what she called "experience lane." She emphasized the three terms she spent in the Missouri House, and pointed to her work in private legal practice and as Jackson County prosecutor. She also defended her work as state auditor, saying her findings resulted in an improved process for handling child abuse tips and better oversight of nursing homes.

She praised Blunt, the son of Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., for his service in the Navy. But then McCaskill went on the attack, saying his single terms in the Missouri House and as secretary of state haven't given him the skills to be governor.

McCaskill said Blunt has not done enough to address state election problems, citing voters registered more than once and the state's lack of an early voting period.

"There is a stark difference between these two records," McCaskill said.

Blunt also took swipes at McCaskill. He said he supported the state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, which voters overwhelmingly approved Aug. 3, while McCaskill did not. McCaskill has said she also opposes gay marriage, but didn't think the amendment was necessary because Missouri already had a law against it.

"If we don't defend marriage as a people, renegade, activist judges will decide for us," Blunt said.

Blunt also said he would expand ethanol use statewide, which he believes would spur rural economic development and possibly lower gas prices by a few cents.

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Associated Press reporter Bill Draper in Kansas City contributed to this story.

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On the Net:

Blunt: http://www.mattblunt.com

McCaskill: http://www.claireonline.com