KC Buzz Blog

Shettles: At least Graves is in the minority

    Sam Graves was one Republican congressman who had an easy time getting re-elected on Tuesday. He outspent Sara Jo Shettles, his Democratic opponent in the Missouri 6th District race, by 10 to 1 and collected nearly 62 percent of the vote.

   Shettles estimated that she spent $110,000 to $125,000. But she actually fared a percentage point higher than Graves’ Democratic challenger in 2004, Charlie Broomfield, who spent nearly $900,000.

   “I wish I would have had the money that Charlie had in 2004 because I think it would have made the race a lot more competitive,” Shettles said Wednesday. “I’m more disappointed that we have Sam Graves representing us for two more years than I am by losing this race.”

   Shettles, however, was happy to see Democratic victories in other congressional elections: “Let’s see what kind of pork Sam Graves brings home with a Democratic-controlled Congress.”

Posted by Mike Rice

Turning the page on Graves' Penthouse charge

  If you live in Missouri’s 6th Congressional District. you've probably seen the ad by GOP Rep. Sam Graves that slam Democrat Sara Jo Shettles for an ad sales job she once held for a science magazine that had corporate ties to Penthouse. The ad shows an image of Shettles with a XXX beside it.

   At a League of Women Voters candidate forum at Park University on Tuesday, Shettles fired back with sarcasm.

   “I’ve never been a nude centerfold,” she told the audience. “But I’m 63 years old and I think my husband likes the idea.”

   That remark drew laughs from the audience.

   Shettles says she sold ads for Omni magazine more than a decade ago. At the time, that magazine was owned by General Media Inc., which owned several other publications including Penthouse. She has contended that the Graves ad is misleading and aimed at distracting voters from looking closely at his conservative voting record and support for the Bush administration.

  Shettles appeared at the forum with two other candidates for the 6th District seat, Libertarian Erik Buck and Shirley Yurkonis of the Progressive Party. Graves, however, did not attend.

Posted by Mike Rice

Neither of the above...

   The Platte County Citizens Coalition, a group that touts itself as non-partisan and supportive of moderate lawmakers, has endorsed candidates in eight local elections. But there is one race that the coalition is avoiding -- the Missouri 6th Congressional District contest between the incumbent Republican Sam Graves of Tarkio and Democrat Sara Jo Shettles of Liberty.

    The coalition formed last year partly in reaction to what it perceived as a conservative takeover of the Platte County Republican Party. Some conservative Platte County Republicans have dismissed the coalition as a group of embittered Democrats and pseudo-Republicans and have noted that none of the coalition’s board members contributed to the campaigns of Graves and President Bush in the last election.

  But coalition chairwoman Candyce Kuebler, who describes herself as a moderate Republican, said politics had nothing to do with the coalition not making an endorsement in that race.

   “We decided only to endorse candidates at the local level and not the national level,” she said.

   The 6th District includes all of Platte County, as well as Clay County and some of eastern Jackson County. When asked if the congressional race could be regarded as a local race, Kuebler replied, “We just decided that it was best to take baby steps.”

   The coalition endorsed five Democrats and three Republicans in the Nov. 8 election. The endorsed candidates are Jennifer Wilmot, Democrat, for Platte County Recorder of Deeds; Donna Nash, Republican, for Platte County Collector; Siobhann Williams, Democrat, for Platte County Auditor; Sandy Krohne, Democrat, for Platte County Clerk; Betty Knight, Republican, for Platte County Presiding Commissioner; Jared Welch, Democrat, for 30th District State Representative; Jason Grill, Democrat, for 32nd District State Representative, and Charlie Shields, Republican, for the 34th District State Senate seat.

Posted by Mike Rice

Rep. Sam Graves stands by his man

    U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, who represents the Northland in Congress, is supporting beleaguered House Speaker Dennis Hastert for now.

     Graves, a Tarkio, Mo., Republican, said he wants to allow enough time to complete any investigations under way the scandal involving former Florida congressman Mark Foley.

    “I won’t call on him to resign until I know all of the facts,” Graves said Thursday while campaigning in Parkville. “There are a lot of things out there right now and we need to find out who knew what, when they knew and when it was reported.”

    Graves and Hastert have a history of allegiance to one another. In 2000, when Graves– then a state senator– announced his candidacy for the Missouri 6th Congressional District seat at North Kansas City Hall, Hastert appeared with him.

Posted by Mike Rice   

Oops!

    Which Kansas City-area member of Congress told The Star one thing, a constituent another and now, as Desi used to tell Lucy, has some `splaining to do?

   (Psst: It was Sam Graves.)

   Read Matt Stearns' story in Thursday's Star.

Posted by Keith Chrostowski 5:55 p.m.