Vice President Joe Biden will campaign in St. Louis on Friday with Jason Kander, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Thursday afternoon. The Missouri secretary of state is hoping to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt, and the outcome of the race could have implications on which party controls the upper chamber of Congress under the next president.
While polls currently suggest Donald Trump will likely secure the Show Me State’s electoral votes, the Senate contest is considered by many a tossup. Mr. Blunt currently enjoys a mere 1-point advantage on Mr. Kander in the Real Clear Politics polling average. By contrast, Mr. Trump enjoys an 8-point lead on Mrs. Clinton in the RCP average.
A U.S. Army veteran who served a tour of duty in Iraq, the Democratic Senate nominee is perhaps best known to a national audience for a September campaign ad which went viral in which a blindfolded Mr. Kander assembled a rifle while addressing expressing his support both for the Second Amendment and for expanded background checks for gun purchases.
“I approve this message because I’d like to see Sen. Blunt do this,” Mr. Kander said he finished assembling the rifle and removed his blindfold.
So far the video has been seen more than 1.25 million times via YouTube.
The National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund has given Mr. Blunt an “A” grade and its endorsement, while rating Mr. Kander an “F” on gun rights. The NRA is also reportedly investing significant resources in the contest through its Political Victory Fund.
While Mr. Biden’s presence on the campaign stump could help energize Democrats in the closing days of the campaign, it could also give gun-rights groups like the NRA fresh ammunition against Mr. Kander, given the vice president’s history as a vigorous supporter of stringent gun control proposals.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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