By Bill Raack, St. Louis Public Radio
ST. LOUIS – At least one political expert says Missouri can no longer be called a bellwether state.
University of Missouri-St. Louis political science professor David Robertson said that Missouri is now a swing state that's trending Republican.
"Republicans are strong and they're going to get stronger because they have a senator in place who can contribute to party-building," Robertson said, "They have now a second statewide executive office. They have that western seat in the House of Representatives. And they have this very strong farm team in the legislature."
As an example of the GOP's dominance in Missouri, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan won just St. Louis city, St. Louis County and Jackson County on Tuesday. Roy Blunt won the other 113 counties.
That's one question that Democrats in Missouri are asking themselves today -- how did US Senate candidate Robin Carnahan lose so badly to Blunt?
Blunt beat Carnahan by 14 points in the race to replace retiring Senator Kit Bond. Robertson says Carnahan's loss may have been due largely to her family.
"I was wondering a couple of things," Robertson said,"Whether or not their identity with the Carnahans' name, identity with the Democratic Party in the state may have hurt both of them to some extent. And also, I think that ad about the windmill that went to Tom Carnahan, the brother of the two Carnahans, I think that was pretty damaging myself."
Just weeks before the election, a federal grant was awarded to Tom Carnahan for a wind farm in northwest Missouri.
Robertson was a guest on "St. Louis on the Air" Wednesday.