Missouri political hopefuls schmooze at State Fair event

SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) — Candidates vying to be Missouri’s next U.S. senator are gathering at the State Fair to bolster support. A wide field of U.S. Senate candidates and other political hopefuls schmoozed at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast Thursday. The annual event is a political rite of passage in Missouri. It’s a rare event that brings both Republican and Democratic candidates under the same pavilion to mingle. It also gives candidates a chance to pose for campaign photos in cowboy boots and jeans.