Speaking Personally: A vote for Eigel is a vote for Ashcroft

Bill Eigel would need a miracle to win the August Primary. There are going to be nine Republicans on the ballot for governor, and based on the way the three front-runners are spending and campaigning in July, no one is that concerned about November. 

 

Unless something drastic changes, the August 6 primary is probably going to determine Missouri’s next governor. 

 

Most people consider the race to be down to three contenders – John R. “Jay” Ashcroft, Mike Kehoe, and Bill Eigel. Whereas Ashcroft and Kehoe have traded leading positions in most polls performed in the last few weeks, Eigel has consistently trailed ten or more points behind. 

 

As a political science major, the challenge for me has not been who will get my vote, but guessing whose chances Eigel will hurt the most when he inevitably splits the vote. His fifteen(ish) percent of the vote is going to determine the outcome of this election. 

 

He won’t be governor, but he is wielding a huge amount of political influence in Missouri. And I won’t mince my words. Eigel scares me. His brand of “permission isn’t necessary – forgiveness will do just fine” paints the picture of an egomaniac who will say he’s a slave to the will of “the people” without ever stopping to figure out what “the people” actually want. 

 

And I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but there are illegal aliens in Missouri and in this country who are not Mexican. Eigel’s campaign ads make me sick. 

 

At the end of the polling day, a vote for Eigel will be a vote for Ashcroft. Ashcroft’s name recognition is an advantage that other candidates have had to spend millions to overcome. It’s an undeniable edge. 

 

Ashcroft will pick up all the lukewarm votes in addition to his staunch supporters’. Because Ashcroft and Kehoe are neck-and-neck in the polls, those votes for Eigel will tip the seat to Ashcroft. 

 

Kehoe and Eigel supporters I’ve met have been anything but lukewarm. Eigel’s people are not going to get their guy. They’re going to give an edge to the candidate who already has one, so my advice to voters who like Eigel is to take a close look at Ashcroft and make up your mind about whether or not you want him. Your fifteen points could get Missouri Kehoe instead. 

 

The candidate who will get my vote has won it only by a hair, not enough for me to endorse him officially.

 

My strongest feelings are an anti-endorsement. If Eigel’s message speaks to you, it’s time to be realistic about what your vote for him will actually mean. It’s more powerful if you cast it strategically instead of picking him as your candidate. Look at the two main contenders and figure out which one you can live with. You’re going to get one or the other anyway.