State Treasurer candidate Andria Simckes tried to rebut reports that she supported the controversial ballot initiative that seeks to outlaw most forms of affirmative action in Missouri.

In an email to supporters and the press Friday, Simckes, who is black, said clearly that she does not support the misleadingly titled “Missouri Civil Rights Initiative” or its chief spokesman, Ward Connerly.

I would like to talk about something that is extremely disturbing. Ward Connerly, a man from California, is putting together a ballot initiative on the November Ballot that would limit the rights of hundreds of thousands of Missourians. I do not support Ward Connerly and I do not support his Missouri Civil Rights Initiative. His initiative attempts to weaken civil rights by abolishing Affirmative Action in Missouri. Affirmative Action is one tool in the defense against discrimination and it is still an extremely important one.

The issue of Simckes’ position on the initiative stems from an April 13th story on the KY3 political blog in which Simckes is reported as saying “she believes in the non-partisan court plan and supports the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative.”

Simckes later posted a comment on that blog posting saying:

I support the right to equal opportunity for all Americans. I am living proof of that opportunity. My acceptances in the NASA-Lewis MARS Internship Program and Brown University are just two examples of how the right to equal opportunity has benefited me personally. Affirmative Action is one of the most effective tools in beginning to level the playing field for women and minorities. I have always and will continue to support everyone’s right to equal opportunity.

In her email Friday, she went on to say how much she has personally benefited from affirmative action.

In my own life, Affirmative Action has played a vital role in providing numerous opportunities for me… The year I entered Brown University, the school made the conscious decision to increase their talent pool to include more racial diversity by moving to need blind admission. Although, I was at the top of my high school graduating class, my family was a working class family and I would not have been able to afford all of the expenses associated with attending Brown.

Simckes took a few parting shots at Connerly before concluding her statement:

I stand against Ward Connerly’s values because he is against that which makes our country great. I am running for State Treasurer for that reason…

Let’s all come together as Democrats to defeat Ward Connerly and his initiative.

Andria Danine Simckes

State Treasure candidate Andria Simckes (D) is raising some eyebrows in Springfield.

According to KY3 Political notebook, at a small gathering of with lawyers Simckes said she’d “received the unofficial tap from Sen. Claire McCaskill, and John Temporiti.”

“They are quietly supportive of me,” quotes KY3.

But the blog shoots down that claim writing that an unnamed, “highly placed” Democratic source said Simckes is way off base.

A Democratic operative with close ties to the party said that’s not true. “Claire McCaskill and John Temporiti have not made an endorsement in this race. They are aggressively neutral,” the operative said.

When I asked if either had suggested to Simckes at any time that they supported her privately or in any other way, the source replied, “never.”

“If there was only one candidate, of course they would’ve been supportive. But they never said, you’re the person. If they were encouraging here before, that didn’t mean they endorsed her. When different circumstances came out, then events changed. That’s how this works,” the operative added.

“I just need to stress that they are totally neutral,” the Democratic source said.

Simckes is among four Democrats vying for the treasurer nomination. Also in the hunt are Mark Powell, Rep. Clint Zweifel of Florissant and Charles Wheeler of Kansas City.