I’ve been given a front row seat here in Columbia to Democratic politics, watching as the Obama campaign ramps up marketing in Boone County. (Full disclosure: my roommate is running the re-election campaign for this state senator.) I’ve watched as the Democrats canvassed Columbia, handing out yard signs and posters and signing up voters en masse. The McCain campaign, it should be noted, has no noticeable presence in town.
So it’s no surprise to me that political insiders are starting to think that Missouri could tip for Obama. One very strong reason to believe that this is the case: pollsters have not been including first time voters — a large majority of whom are black or youth voters, likely to vote for Obama — in their polls. Add in a potential windfall from the cell phone vote and two huge resources in St. Louis and Kansas City, and Missouri could well be a blue state this fall.