Missouri Governor Matt Blunt announced yesterday that he will not seek re-election this year. The 38-year old Governor said that he had accomplished virtually everything he wanted to, and therefore didn't have the sense of mission to go for a second term.
This was a complete shock to everyone, including his own party, and it throws the Missouri Governorship into chaos. Not only are the Reps scrambling to find a suitable replacement (possibly Lt. Governor Peter Kinder), but the Democrat challenger, Attorney General Jay Nixon -- who has been running slash ads against Blunt for several years -- has suddenly lost his main campaign talking point.
This departure is bad news for Missourians. Check out Blunt's list of accomplishments:
- 92,000 jobs created
- better roads
- the largest K-12 Education funding budget in Missouri history
- increased state revenues
- three years of budget surpluses
- Missouri has the sixth lowest cost of living in the entire U.S.
All of these things were done without a tax increase! Blunt has also made some critically important safety decisions, including pushing for a variation of Jessica's Law (minimum 25-year sentence and GPS tracking for the first child sexual offense) in Missouri and allowing Missouri State Troopers to train on and enforce federal immigration policies. Matt Blunt was able to accomplish all of these things in just a single term, proving he is a deft politician and a visionary leader.
If Blunt is simply taking time off to spend with his family, I applaud him - what's the point of a long list of accomplishments if you're family is a disaster? But, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he turned up in a Senate race or some kind of cabinet position (or Vice-President??) in the near future, either. Clearly, he's got the savvy to make things happen, and I wouldn't mind at all if Missouri's loss is the nation's gain.
Good luck, Governor, and thanks for all you've done for us!
There's my two cents.
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