By Sylvia Maria Gross
Kansas City, MO – The Missouri Senate race has drawn attention from around the world, Republican incumbent Jim Talent and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill are still in a dead heat, and the outcome will help decide which party controls the US Senate. Last week, we followed Talent as he answered questions in a forum with Kansas City's Black Agenda Group. A columnist from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said he thought Talent has been addressing the concerns of Missouri's black communities more directly that McCaskill, though he predicted the overwhelming majority of African Americans will still vote for Democratic candidates, in opposition to the current administration. But commentators say that in such a tight race, Talent's inroads into traditionally Democratic voters could make a difference.
KCUR's Sylvia Maria Gross followed Claire McCaskill to a similar forum with the Black Agenda Group and town hall meeting with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, who's also up for re-election, at the Gregg Klice Community Center.