The District
Missouri's Political Background

Missouri attracts attention each election year because it's often considered the nation's bellwether: As goes the Show-Me state, so goes the nation. In many ways the state is a microcosm of the United States; its 3.6 million voters picked the winner in all but one presidential election this century. With the exception of Eisenhower in 1956, Missouri voters also chose the winner by about the same margin as the rest of the nation. Since 1972, Missouri's governor has been of the same party as the nation's president.

And Missouri votes -- with higher turnout and higher voter registration than the nation's average. About 54 percent of Missouri's eligible voters went to the polls for the 1996 presidential election, compared to 49 percent nationally. Nearly 84 percent of Missouri's eligible voters were registered in 1996, a full 10 percentage points higher than the national average.

Considered the gateway to the West, Missouri is home to a population slightly older, wealthier and less racially diverse than the rest of the nation. These factors make it a place where socially conservative themes play well. But St. Louis, a full third of the state's votes, is consistently more liberal and feels like an Eastern-style city. In general the northern part of the state tends to lean toward Democrats; the south toward Republicans. But in 1992, 22 percent of voters supported Ross Perot.

The result is a state that is above all unpredictable. No politician takes Missouri for granted. That means a tough battle every election season for the hearts and votes of a population long proud of its skepticism. It's Missourians stubborn insistence on proof that earned "The Show-Me State" its nickname.

For politicians, the burden of proof can be expensive. This year, Al Gore and George W. Bush have been flooding the airwaves with ads.

From the flat corn and wheat fields in the state's northwest corner to the hills of the Ozarks in the southeast to the industrial grind of St. Louis, Missouri is influenced by nearly every regional culture of the United States, from Appalachia to the Great Plains. The state is home to vast herds of cattle and sheep, but also leads the nation in lead mining. Along with family farms, it's home to the world's largest brewery. Its borders reach from Illinois to Arkansas. Outside of St. Louis and Kansas City, the state is filled with farmland and small towns. Only one town, Springfield, has more than 100,000 residents.

Politicians of both parties have been successful in Missouri when tailor their messages to more traditional rural voters. Democratic Governor Mel Carnahan's moderate politics and rural background afforded him success in the state. The culturally conservative Republican Senator John Ashcroft, defending his seat against a challenge from Carnahan in this year's election, has also been successful.

This year's Senate election promises to be closely watched as two political veterans vie for a seat representing a state that's in many ways microcosm of the nation.