WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Missouri GOP Secretary of State Matt Blunt kicked off his campaign for governor Wednesday at a high school gymnasium in Strafford.
Blunt, son of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, is not expected to face opposition in his bid for the Republican nomination to face incumbent Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, in the November election.
The race is, according most analysts, one of the most competitive in the nation. Holden was first elected in 2000, defeating Republican Jim Talent -- now the state's junior U.S. Senator -- by just 20,000 votes out of more than 2.5 million cast. Holden is being challenged for renomination by fellow Democrat Claire McCaskill, the Missouri state auditor.
If elected Blunt, at 33, would be one of the youngest governors in state history.
