Oh, this ought to be good.
They already told each other to f**k off last year, now they’re going to face off in a primary.
Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO) and Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) filed papers Tuesday to run in the Missouri First Congressional District.
The Hill reported:
Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) has filed to run in the Democratic primary against Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) in a heavily-Democratic, St. Louis-based district.
The decision comes after months of waiting on Carnahan to decide whether he would challenge Clay or choose to run in a Republican-leaning district that includes much of his old territory.
Carnahan’s move is a loss for national Democrats: he would have likely been their strongest option to run in the new suburban district.
The race is a continuation of a fight between the two that started with redistricting, when Missouri lost one of its congressional seats. Carnahan’s district was dismantled by Republicans in the state Legislature, but after Missouri’s Democratic governor, Jay Nixon, vetoed the maps, the final votes to override the veto came from Clay allies in the statehouse.
After it became clear Clay was happy to see Carnahan lose his seat, Carnahan swore at him on the House floor, according to reports. Since then he has stayed silent on where he would run, but many predicted he would take on Clay — if he wins he’ll have a safely Democratic district for a decade rather than a perennial swing district.
Still, the race will be an uphill battle for Carnahan, a centrist white Democrat facing a more liberal African-American congressman in a heavily black district.
