Missouri mixes red with blue

[pstokely]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/missouri-mixes-red-with-blue/article_1f678ad8-007a-5db9-902d-7412d8fea910.html

"Missouri’s election results provided a mystifying paradox, as the state heavily favored Republican Mitt Romney but put Democrats in most statewide offices.
The state has grown more conservative, especially in presidential politics. But Democrats found paths to statewide victories, largely fueled by candidate selection and careful positioning on issues. In essence, Missouri has become a red state with gaps that are being successfully exploited by Democrats.
Romney won Missouri by almost 10 points, beating President Barack Obama by a larger margin than he did in the deep red Southern state of Georgia. And the GOP maintained strong majorities in both the state House and Senate.
But Democrats, largely avoiding their party’s standard-bearer and platform, found ways to win big. Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill carried the state by an even larger margin than Romney, defeating conservative Todd Akin, whose candidacy was disrupted by a controversial comment on rape."