On the same day that Missourians will vote to select their preferred presidential candidate they will also vote on senatorial candidates. While a great deal of focus has been placed on the ever divisive presidential elections the, senatorial elections are also of paramount importance towards the future of our country, especially in light of changes in both major party platforms. Currently, the Republican candidate is Roy Blunt, the incumbent junior Senator from Missouri, and a veteran of national politics. The Democratic contestant is Jason Kander, Missouri secretary of state, military intelligence officer and former Missouri House Representative. Like previous Missouri elections the Republicans are favored to win, but in the wake of the spectacle that is national politics and the fact that Missouri is a somewhat moderate state, Roy Blunt’s senate seat is certainly less than safe.

    The candidates differ widely on the pertinent issues. Roy Blunt is firmly in the camp of the right, receiving a 100% voting record rating by the NRLC (National Right to Life Committee) as well as 14% by the ACLU and 19% by the NAACP. He also has a track record of supporting measures to reduce healthcare costs while also opposing Obamacare and supporting TPP, counter to the GOP Presidential nominee, Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Kander strikes a more moderate though left-leaning tone with his stances, most likely this is intentional, considering his opponent and the state he his contesting. Kander opposes TPP, supports Obama’s immigration plan while also opposing Obama’s executive actions on the subject, and is pro-choice. The issues clearly set both camps at near polar opposites.

    On a deeper level, this senatorial election is between two opposing forces. Roy Blunt has been in politics since the 70’s, Kander was born in 1981 and first sought office in 2008. As such this has developed into a anti-establishment campaign on the part of Kander who has cemented this by criticizing both Obama, and appealing to disillusioned Republicans, saying to the Washington Post “If you were going to go into a lab and build out of spare politician parts what people are angry about in Washington, you would build Roy Blunt,”. Blunt meanwhile points to his record of conservative action in the senate and attacks Kander by seeking to undermine Kander’s outsider status, attempting to link him closely with Hillary Clinton. A Blunt campaign spokesperson, Burson Snyder, stated in a press release “The contrast in this race is clear, and we will continue to take every opportunity to remind Missourians that Jason Kander stands with Hillary Clinton and the national Democrats, and Roy Blunt stands for more jobs and less government for Missourians”.

    The Real Clear Politics average gives Roy Blunt a narrow lead of 4 points as of early July, indicating a close race especially for an incumbent Republican senator in Missouri. For this election cycle, many Republicans face unusually tough contests, including John McCain and even Paul Ryan, House Speaker, who just emerged from a tough contest. Regardless, this is an opportunity for Democrats to undermine the Republican legislative majority and for small voting blocks, including eligible high school students, to influence in a major way these contested elections, in Missouri and elsewhere.