Part I of the MO Super Family Showdown: The Democratic Carnahans

Author: Sarah Riordan

One of the most common sayings heard throughout the 2008 presidential race was “No more Clintons or Bushs in the Whitehouse.”  On a smaller scale, by swapping out the names, the same can be said for the state of Missouri.  “No more Blunts and no more Carnahans.”

So in light of the above sentiment, here is a little history on how long these two families have been heavily influencing the great state of Missouri.

The Carnahan family has held prominent state positions since…ready for this…1945 (Picture Nazis and you’ll be in the right era, and the right political arena.) when A.S.J. Carnahan was elected to Congress as a Democratic representative for Missouri’s 8^th Congressional District. A.S.J Carnahan passed away in 1968, but the Carnahan legacy didn’t end there. 

Next in line is A.S.J.’s son Melvin Eugene Carnahan.  His career in began in 1951 as a judge in Missouri’s Municipal Court. In 1963 he was a member in the Missouri State House of Representatives. He was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1966 and 1968.  In 1981 Melvin (known as Mel) Carnahan became the Missouri State Treasurer, and then in 1989 became the Lieutenant Governor of Missouri.  His career hit its peak in when was elected Governor of Missouri in 1993. Mel Carnahan, in an event that most Missourians (including this former Missourian) remember clearly, died while in office in a plane crash in the year 2000 during his run to become a United States Senator.

Now, one would assume that because Governor Carnahan passed away in 2000, his political career would have ended.  However, surprisingly enough, one would be wrong.  Carnahan’s names was left on the election ballet, and he ended winning the Senate Seat.  In a move that is controversial to this day, Missouri literally elected a deceased man to office. The solution to this problem is where the next portion of the Carnahan family history begins. 

Jean Carnahan married into the political family in 1954. Though she had no political experience herself, as the wife of the former governor, she was appointed to fill her husband’s seat in the U.S. Senate in 2001.  Though she was appointed to the U.S. Senate her political career was short lived.  She spent a year in the U.S. Senate before disappearing from the political scene.

But yet again, the Carnahan family history didn’t end there. John Russell Carnahan,(Russ) the son of Jean and Mel, was elected as a Congressman in 2004. Russ Carnahan is still serving in Congress today.

Oh, did you think we were done with the Carnahans?  Me too.  I guess we were both wrong.  To bring us to the present political race, we now visit Robin Carnahan’s political career.

Robin Carnahan, granddaughter of A.S.J., daughter of Mel and Jean, and sister to Russ is running against Congressmen Roy Blunt in the 2010 Senate race for Kit Bond’s (R) District 7 seat.  Robin Carnahan is a lawyer and served as Secretary of State for Missouri.

The Carnahan/Blunt showdown is destined to be one of the hottest Senatorial races in the nation. To view background info on Roy Blunt, click here.