Missouri’s Blunt mum on GOP chairman’s future

Sen. Roy Blunt once again deflected questions Tuesday about whether John Hancock should resign as chairman of the Missouri Republican Party.

Some Republicans in Missouri have called for Hancock to step down after the apparent suicide of state auditor Tom Schweich, a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Schweich believed Hancock was involved in a whisper campaign against him.

Schweich, 54, died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound on Feb. 26 in his suburban St. Louis home, after telling reporters Hancock had been spreading anti-Semitic rumors that Schweich was Jewish.

Schweich told the reporters his grandfather was Jewish. Schweich was a practicing Episcopalian.

Asked Tuesday whether he thinks Hancock should now step down, Blunt did not answer directly. He said Hancock’s fate is up to the Missouri Republican State Committee.

“The state committee is the group that deals with that and they need to decide how to move forward,” said Blunt, who is running for re-election in 2016.

His likely opponent, Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, is Jewish.

Blunt may be the most influential official in the state party.

The senator avoided further questions from The Star Tuesday by making an early exit from a Capitol Hill press conference and heading onto the Senate floor.

Blunt, who is running for re-election in 2016, likely would prefer to steer clear of the controversy surrounding Schweich’s death. But his role as a senior and influential member of Missouri’s Republican Party puts him in a tough spot.

Hancock, a longtime GOP political consultant, has worked for Blunt in the past, as well as for Schweich’s Republican rival for the governorship, Catherine Hanaway, a former speaker of the Missouri House.

Hancock was elected for a two-year term as chairman of the Missouri GOP on Feb. 21. At the time, Blunt voiced his support for Hancock in a statement.

“John Hancock has the skills and experience to lead the Missouri Republican Party in the crucial 2016 elections,” the statement said. “Under John’s leadership, a united (party) is ready for success.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Missouri’s Blunt mum on GOP chairman’s future."