Another Missouri Republican Running For Rep. Blunt's Seat

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Add another candidate to the bulging roster of Republican candidates running for the southwestern Missouri district Rep. Roy Blunt (R) is leaving open to run for the Senate.

Michael Wardell, a businessman and retired Marine, has filed candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to formally organize a campaign in Missouri's 7th district, which includes Springfield and Joplin.

Wardell's campaign Web page says that national security "is my foremost concern" and that he supports a beefed-up presence in Afghanistan. He supports cutting taxes across the board and eliminating capital gains taxes.

The Republican nominee will be determined in a primary next August that probably will include a half-dozen or more candidates. The winner surely will succeed Blunt in what is Missouri's most rock-ribbed Republican district. The GOP field includes auctioneer Billy Long, who was the best-funded candidate through the end of September; state Sens. Jack Goodman and Gary Nodler; and Darrell Moore, the top prosecutor in Greene County (Springfield).

CQ Politics rates the Missouri 7 race as Safe Republican.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/11/another-missouri-republican-ru.html