Saturday saw long lines of hundreds of voters in St. Louis County — three days before Election Day!

The Young Democrats of St. Louis’ “Obama Strikeforce” recorded some images of early voters yesterday. Hundreds of people stood in line on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for the chance to be among the first Missourians to cast their ballots in this historic election.

UPDATE 1 P.M.

WILL YOU BE MY LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR?

The race for Lt. Governor is as crowded as Hwy 70 at 6 p.m., who didn’t scratch their name on the list as closing bell yesterday? After some hopes at keeping the Democratic candidate list short and sweet, six contenders are crammed up the tailpipe.

Back in November Missouri Democratic Party Chairman John Temporiti made the lieutenant governor primary a priority to keep uncontested, planning to get then only candidates State Rep. Sam Page of Creve Coeur and businessman Mike Evans of Arnold to come to some sort of agreement.

Apparently it was an agreement that left the window for a two-man field to become every man for himself. Six candidates are on slate now, including Page, Michael Carter, Richard Charles Tolbert, Becky L. Plattner, Mary Williams and C. Lillian Metzger.

The Republicans are working with less contentious fare – incumbent Peter Kinder and two lesser knowns, Paul Douglas Sims and Arthur Hodge Sr.

IN THE STATEWIDE RACES…

First off. Who isn’t running in this mother? Roberts and Hubbard and Waheed, oh my!

But let’s jump this off with the governor’s race and see where we can go from there.

GOV LOVE

After Gov. Matt Blunt abruptly announced he would not be seeking re-election the potential Republican candidates have been popping off the walls. Five people have signed up for the showdown, but the biggest players are current State Treasurer Sarah Steelman and Rep. Kenny Hulshof.

Steelman wasted no time after Blunt announced there would be no second term. Even though she’d already sent out a press release earlier on Jan. 22 tooting her run for re-election, the minute Blunt dropped his bombshell all plans for state treasure went out the window. Steelman has her eyes keenly on the governor prize.

Hulshof wanted to run for governor in 2004, but side-stepped in favor of Blunt. He had to settle for being a boring ol’ congressman despite his heart yearning for Columbia. He almost ditched Washington altogether in a bid for president of the University of Missouri. Home is where the heart is, after all. But with Blunt’s bow out, he can bring back that loving feeling. Now if only he can finagle Steelman out of the way.

Other candidates are Richard Allen Kline, Scott Long and Jennie Lee Sievers. All hope to face Democratic nominee, Attorney General Jay Nixon in statewide elections this fall.

Ring up a big union endorsement for aspiring Missouri Attorney General Rep. Margaret Donnelly (D-Richmond Heights) and State Treasurer candidate State Rep. Clint Zweifel (D-Florissant).

The Missouri State Council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are putting their might and mettle behind both Democratic candidates.

The union represents 14,000 workers in health care, public sector and building services.

In a statement released by the Donnelly campaign, Donnelly is thankful for the endorsement, plugging that they “will make history when I am elected Missouri’s first woman Attorney General.”

DOWNLOAD THE FINAL LIST OF ST. LOUIS CITY CANDIDATES HERE.

GET THE FINAL LIST OF STATE CANDIDATES BY CLICKING HERE.

UPDATE @ 5:38 PM:

Tom Villa did not file for the 5th senate district. The game is set with Hubbard, Wright-Jones, and Johnson.

UPDATE 8 @ 4:45PM:

Mike Roberts, Jr., son of millionaire Mike Roberts (of the Roberts Brothers), has filed for state rep against Rachel Storch.

UPDATE 7 @ 4:40PM:

Connie Johnson has filed for state senate, joining Rodney Hubbard and Robin Wright-Jones.

UPDATE 6:

Activist and former police board commissioner Khatib Waheed has filed to run against 26th Ward committeeman Joe Palm.

And Chris Carter will be doing battle with Curtis Royston on two fronts — for state rep and now also for Royston’s committeeman post.

UPDATE 5:

Daniel Schesch has filed against longtime Treasurer Larry Williams.

Former State Rep and Alderman O. L. Shelton has filed for committeeman in the 4th Ward.

Chad Beffa, who is also running for state rep, has filed for committeeman in the 10th Ward. As reported earlier, Chad’s ally, fellow SLPS advocate Nicholas Clement, also filed for committeeman today in the 13th.

UPDATE 4:

Doubling his bets. Looks like Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. isn’t taking any chances. Just in case his first committeeman candidate’s tax issues aren’t cleared up, he filed a backup (Johnnie Saddler) today.

UPDATE 3:

Damn, those Ron Paul guys are tenacious!

Looks like the Paulies are making a play to take over the Republican Party in St. Louis City. Word is that several Paul supporters have filed for open Republican committeeman and committeewoman posts across the city today. Developing…

UPDATE 2:

Speaking of Connie Johnson, a third candidate has filed for her soon-to-be-vacated House seat. Anthony Bell, a former 3rd Ward alderman candidate, filed this afternoon, joining 27th Ward Committeeman Curtis Royston and Chris Carter, nephew of Alderman Greg Carter.

UPDATE 1:

In the 5th Ward, Committeeman (and state senate candidate*) Rodney Hubbard filed for re-election this afternoon. And his sister, Tammika Hubbard, filed for committeewoman. The incumbent committeewoman, Cheryl Nelson, is not seeking re-election.

In the 13th Ward, St. Louis Public Schools teacher and advocate Nick Clement has filed to run for committeeman. The incumbent, Fred Steffen, had not yet filed as of this report HAS FILED for re-election.

In the 21st Ward, after much speculation, it finally became official: PubDef.net publisher Antonio French is running for committeeman. Filing as his running-mate, Mrs. Laura Keys, a longtime friend and aide of French’s grandmother, former Committeeman Myrtle French (who passed away last year), is running to become the northside ward’s new committeewoman.

IN THE RUMOR MILL:

Rumor has it that Jerryl Christmas, an aide to U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, has been making calls encouraging support for attorney Hope Whitehead to run against Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. Christmas ran against Joyce twice and lost both times by large margins. Joyce’s re-election kickoff a couple of months ago saw most of the city’s elected officials (north, south and central) already pledging their support and adding their names to Joyce’s extraordinarily long host committee.

Rumor also has it that State Rep. Connie Johnson has been fantasizing about becoming the next senator of the 5th District. There are currently two candidates in the race: frontrunner Rodney Hubbard, who has already scored several key endorsements (including Congressman Lacy Clay, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, and Lic. Collector Mike McMillan) and raised nearly $130,000; and state rep Robin Wright-Jones. A third candidate, Rep. Tom Villa, has long been thought as a possible candidate. His election would mean the City of St. Louis would have an all-white senate delegation for the first time in 50 years.

EARLIER STORY:

It’s time to put up or shut up.

Anyone running for office has to make their intentions known, loud and proud, by 5 p.m. today. At PubDef.net we’re expecting a flurry of late filings. The Post-Dispatch is reporting that statewide 60 of the 163 feature one candidate running unopposed. In the state senate only four seats are uncontested.

Jason Rosenbaum with the Columbia Tribune’s Political Blog is posing all sorts of questions about what the 5 p.m. filing deadline will foreshadow for the governor’s race and state elected offices.

Will Reps. Tom Villa, D-St. Louis, and/or Connie Johnson, D-St. Louis, jump into the race to replace Senate Minority Leader Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis?

Will oodles of Democratic incumbents in Jefferson County, St. Louis City, Kansas City and elsewhere go without opponents? Will Republicans in southern Missouri get passes for another two years?

These “Unsolved Mysteries” as well as a host of other election questions will be answered tonight. Stay tuned!

*Hubbard is a client (campaign management) of PubDef publisher Antonio D. French.