U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry is about to announce his endorsement of Illinois senator Barack Obama for President, according to reports.

The message here seems to be: John Edwards (Kerry’s former running mate) can’t win the primary election, Hillary Clinton can’t win the general election.

As expected, Michele Kratky, wife of former State Rep. Fred Kratky, has been selected as the Democratic nominee to replace her husband in February’s special election.

Southside Democratic committeemen and -women met this morning to select their candidate. According to the press release, Kratky was the only candidate considered. Here’s the press release:

Democrats in the 65th Legislative District chose Michele Kratky Saturday as their nominee to run for State Representative. Michele Kratky hopes to succeed her husband, former State Representative Fred Kratky, who resigned the seat in June.

Last week, the Governor called a Special Election for February 5, 2008, to fill the seat, triggering the process held Saturday that decided the nominee for the Democrat Party.

“I am delighted to be able to finally choose our nominee, and hopefully, our next State Representative,” said Jack Stelzer, chairman of the 65th Legislative District Democrats. “I know Michele will work hard in her campaign, and our committee people will work hard to ensure her successful election.”

According to Missouri Constitution and Statute, Democratic committeemen and committeewomen from the city wards that make up the 65th Legislative District decide the Democratic Party’s nominee for a Special Election. Michele Kratky was the only candidate considered during the group’s meeting.

“I am honored to be the nominee,” Michele Kratky said, “and I am looking forward to running an aggressive campaign.”

Officers also were elected during the meeting. Jack Stelzer will serve as chair; Antoinette Poole, vice chair; Louise Tonkovich, secretary; and Chuck Miller, treasurer.

Previous Stories:

Kratky Resigns State Rep Seat

Keeping it in the Family

Attorney General candidate Jeff Harris today picked up the support of the Sheet Metal Workers Local 36.

From the press release:

David Zimmerman, President and Business Manager for Local 36, said today that, “Jeff Harris is our choice for Attorney General because he has always been there on the issues important to the working people of this state. Jeff has stood up and fought for what’s important and we have no doubt he’ll do the same as our next Attorney General. Working families should rally around Harris. We are proud to endorse him.”

“It has been my privilege to stand with organized labor on behalf of the working men and women of this state,” Harris said. “Today, I am proud to have the members of Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 36 standing with me and supporting my candidacy for Attorney General.”

As Attorney General, Harris has vowed to aggressively enforce minimum wage and prevailing wage laws to ensure that hard-working Missourians are fairly compensated for the work they do.

Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 36 has over 3,000 members in eastern Missouri, including the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, Columbia, Jefferson City, and Springfield.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch has joined the Chris Koster bandwagon. The County’s top law enforcer joins a long (and growing) list of endorsers of the Republican-turned-Democrat’s bid for Attorney General.

From the press release:

“Chris Koster has been a true member of Missouri’s law enforcement community,” McCulloch said. “He has walked the crime scenes, examined the witnesses, and made closing arguments in big cases time after time. When it comes to street-level law enforcement, Koster has truly walked the walk.”

McCulloch continued, “Koster was vice-president of the Missouri Association of Prosecutors when he joined the senate. Prosecutors throughout Missouri trust his leadership. It is critical that we have someone with his law enforcement background as Attorney General. I look forward to communicating with the citizens of the greater St. Louis area and telling them why Chris Koster will be a great Attorney General.”

“I am honored to have the support of Bob McCulloch,” Koster said. “Bob has been a leader in the law enforcement community both in Missouri and the nation for many years. Because of that, his endorsement today is especially close to my heart.”