When attorney general candidate Chris Koster left the Cass County Prosecutor's office to become the first Republican state senator in his district in half a century, he was replaced by Democrat Teresa Hensley.
In 2004 Koster defeated Democratic candidate Larry Snider by a 2-to-1 margin for the state senate seat, a stunning defeat in Democratic territory held by legendary Sen. Harold Caskey for 28 years before he was term limited out of the Senate. But the defeat of Snider and the turnover of the seat to a Republican left many Democrats in Cass County questioning just how such a defeat had been possible.
Since Koster's party switch earlier this year, he has gained quite a bit of support from Democrats throughout the state, including some in Cass County. The one noticeable absence in support comes from the woman who replaced him. Hensley, a long time county resident and Democratic activist, was appointed by then Gov. Bob Holden to fill the vacancy when Koster was sworn into the Senate. She previously ran for a House seat in the historically Republican 123rd District in 2002, narrowly losing to Rep. Brian Baker, and has seen her name tossed around in recent months as a likely replacement for Koster's Senate seat, which he is abandoning to run for attorney general.
According to the round of campaign finance reports released Monday by the Missouri Ethics Commission, Hensley's family law firm, Hensley & Hensley, donated $200 to former House Democratic Leader Jeff Harris' attorney general campaign in the third quarter of 2007 while making no contribution to Koster. The size of the contribution is overshadowed by the weight of support that accompanies Hensley's endorsement.
Anonymous reports to MPN suggest that Hensley may know the shortcomings of Koster's tenure as Cass County prosecutor better than anyone else. Those shortcomings remain secret and Koster is free to flout during the campaign his experience and so far unconfirmed accomplishments as a county prosecutor.
As for now, Hensley's endorsement of Harris' campaign is sure to raise questions about why she is not supporting Koster, Cass County's new Democratic hometown hero.
Note that Hensley cannot currently practice with the firm due to her capacity as prosecutor, but her husband Ken maintains the operation.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Koster's replacement as Cass Co prosecutor supports Harris for AG
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5 comments:
What does she know that the rest of us don't?
Wow. That's huge. A real boon or Harris.
Good for her! Welcome to the official Harris supporter club. Go Harris!
Some good news for the Harris campaign!
But what does this mean for Koster? and what about Luke Scavuzzo, is he supporting Koster?
Good news for Harris!
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