Missouri Democratic Party sees shake-up

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The leader of the Missouri Democratic Party is stepping down and several staff members are leaving following the party's losses in the November election, which included losing control of the state House for the first time since 1954.

But there will be zero staff departures from the state GOP, said executive director John Hancock. In addition to taking control of the state House, the GOP widened by two seats its majority in the state Senate and also unseated U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan.

Mike Kelley, who had been executive director of the state Democratic Party since June 2001, and other Democrats said the reorganization was largely the result of November's poor performance.

"It is very clear that the Democratic Party is going to be changing some things from what we did in the 2002 elections," said Kelley, 27, who will continue working for the party as a spokesman after his departure at year's end. "We've been out talking, listening to people, trying to find out what the disconnect is."

Some Missouri Democrats have complained since the election the influence of the White House drowned out their own candidates' message.

President Bush visited the state five times during Republican Jim Talent's successful bid for the U.S. Senate, and he dispatched Cabinet members and other GOP stars to Missouri throughout the past year.

"The lesson we learned is that we've got to be a much bigger player in terms of turnout in outstate Missouri," said Joe Carmichael, a Springfield attorney and state Democratic Party general chairman.

Several lawmakers also have grumbled that several close races could have been winnable with better planning. Ten House races were settled by a total of under 2,000 votes.

Besides Kelley, Todd Patterson, executive director of Team Missouri, the political arm of Democratic statehouse members, said he also was likely to leave his post within the next month.

"There's always a transition two years out from the (presidential) election," Patterson said.

Many of the departures are a reshuffling of personnel within Democratic ranks.

Julie Gibson, a consultant for state Democrats and former chief of staff to Gov. Bob Holden, left last month to become Democratic Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell's chief of staff. Some change-ups could also ride on the potential presidential bid of Democratic U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt of St. Louis, officials said.

Missouri's state parties usually employ between six and 10 staffers. Many are often recent college graduates who move on to private sector work, making turnover a staple after election cycles.