| REGISTER TO WIN | |
 |
“Odd” only begins to describe it. Here she is, a teacher at St. Elizabeth School in Kansas City and running for the second-most-powerful job in state government. But darn if I can get her on the phone, and I’ve tried four or five times. Called her house, called her cell, called her school.
It’s free publicity, for gosh sakes.
Some of Williams’ good friends say they were shocked to learn that their buddy was running for high office. Funny, but some of them had bumped into her recently, and Williams didn’t say a word about it.
Strange.
No sign of a “Williams for Attorney General” campaign anywhere. Come to think of it, she hasn’t filed any paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission that would allow her to get started on the serious business of fundraising.
She might need it. Williams, the wife of a Kansas City Municipal Court judge, is walking into a hotly competitive Democratic primary. Her opponents are Chris Koster, the well-spoken state senator from Harrisonville; Margaret Donnelly, the firecracker state rep from St. Louis; and Jeff Harris, the former House minority leader from Columbia who has been all over the state lining up votes.
Good golly, Molly. You out there?
So what’s up? Why did the one-time lawyer turned newly minted seventh- and eighth-grade American history and social studies teacher pay a $200 filing fee only to do everything possible to mask her candidacy?
And why is she doing it when, as she says on her school’s Web site, “Two years ago, I began a hiatus from active (legal) practice and am loving teaching …?”
Here’s a theory, at least one being kicked around by Democrats all over Jackson County: Williams is a ringer. She’s agreed to run as a favor to Koster. Her objective: Change the dynamics of the Democratic primary race.
That is, as a woman she will peel votes away from the other woman in the contest, the hard-charging Donnelly, just by placing her name on the ballot. Some voters may bite. Molly Williams, the hometown candidate from Kansas City? I like that name. I’ll vote for her.
That is about how sophisticated some voters get when it comes to down-ballot primary races. Williams takes a bite out of one of Donnelly’s biggest political assets, and that is that Donnelly was the lone woman in a three-candidate hunt.
Or at least she was until Williams came along and filed two weeks after the three others did.
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book. Been played a thousand times. And who knows? It might work.
The Donnelly camp is convinced that Koster masterminded the arrangement. Democrats say he’s close to some of Williams’ buddies.
“I’m 100 percent convinced — I’ve never been more convinced of anything — that Koster was behind this,” said Donnelly adviser Richard Martin.
Stephen Bough, president of the Committee for County Progress, said Donnelly “doesn’t stand a chance if Molly picks up many votes in Kansas City.”
That, he said, “is what this is all about.”
Koster pleads innocent. He said neither he nor his supporters had anything to do with Williams’ entry. Koster said he hasn’t even met her.
Besides, he added: “Both men and women can run for statewide office. We welcome all players into this because we believe ultimately our resume is going to win it.”
Still, this ranks as one strange deal.
Join the discussion
Share your observations and experiences about news. Lively, open debate is the goal, but please refrain from personal attacks or comments that are racist, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. If you see an inappropriate comment, please click the "Report as violation" link to notify a KansasCity.com editor. Thanks for your feedback.