Karl Rove Swinging Through Missouri Today in Support of Roy Blunt

​Republican strategist Karl Rove was in St. Charles this morning for a $500 per-plate breakfast in support of Congressman Roy Blunt and his campaign for Senate.

For $2,400 attendees got the privilege of sitting near Rove. For a mere $1,000 they could get their picture taken with George W. Bush's top political aide. (Which seems an awful lot to pay for definitive, side-by-side proof that you are not the smarmiest person on Earth. But I digress.)

Blunt and Rove move on to Springfield later this morning for another fundraiser, this one a luncheon.

Rove's swing through Missouri comes as fundraising for the second quarter comes to an end Wednesday. As politico.com reports, Blunt held a cash advantage over his Democratic challenger, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, after the first quarter, with $3.4 million compared to $2.8 million.

Rove's visit prompted a quick response from the Missouri Democratic Party.

"It will be just like old times when Congressman Blunt's close friend and fellow Washington insider Karl Rove comes to Missouri to help him rake in more special interest campaign cash," said Missouri Democratic Party Spokesman Ryan Hobart.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama is scheduled to stump for Carnahan on July 8 in Kansas City, which prompted its own response from the Republican Party.

"Robin Carnahan hid in Washington, D.C. when Obama was in St. Louis, avoided standing on the same platform with him when he came to Macon and now, in an act of desperation, Carnahan is coming out in the open to stand with Obama and his unpopular agenda," said Blunt spokesman Rich Chrismer.