Mo. AG candidates say they will continue e-mail lawsuit

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's attorney general candidates each say they would continue a lawsuit filed against Gov. Matt Blunt over access to his office's e-mail records.

Special investigators appointed by current Attorney General Jay Nixon have sued to get access to the records.

Democrat Chris Koster and Republican Michael Gibbons said during a Thursday debate that they would continue litigation over the e-mail records if the law and facts supported it. Blunt, a Republican, has contended that the lawsuit is politically motivated.

The attorney general debate was held at the University of Missouri-Columbia as part of centennial celebration for the campus' journalism school. In a sharp departure from a bitter Democratic primary, Koster and Gibbons were cordial and largely agreed on what they would do if elected.