Missouri Democrats gave a thumbs-down to Gov. Bob Holden in the state’s primary election Aug. 3, voting instead for state Auditor Claire McCaskill by a margin of 6 percentage points.
During the campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor, Ms. McCaskill criticized the incumbent for using his executive power to withhold state aid for education last year as part of his running battle with the Republican-led legislature over the state budget.
Her education platform calls for requiring each of the state’s 524 school districts to be audited by the state auditor once every three years and re-writing the school aid formula, which is being challenged in court.
Ms. McCaskill will face Secretary of State Matt Blunt, who easily won the Republican primary last week, in the November general election.
— Robert C. Johnston