Democrats and Chris Koster are in one heck of political pickle here.  Chris Koster is being accused of being an opportunist, a slimy fund raiser, a perpetrator of plagiarism, and the creator of a stalking horse designed to guarantee his victory in the Democrat primary.  If he pulls out a win, he won’t be playing that reformer card very well along with the rest of the Democrat ticker in Missouri, and nationally.  From STLtoday:

Sen. Chris Koster of Raymore put a bull’s-eye on his back last summer when he left the Republican Party, became a Democrat and declared his candidacy for Missouri attorney general.

Since then, the race for the Democratic nomination has centered on one question: Is Koster a true Democrat or a calculating opportunist?

His rivals — Reps. Margaret Donnelly of Richmond Heights and Jeff Harris of Columbia — say Koster is an impostor. They point to his votes for Republican bills cutting Medicaid and forcing voters to show photo IDs.

Koster responds that “you learn and grow” as a legislator and he now believes the Medicaid cuts were “too deep” and the voter ID measure “too extreme.”

As the race enters its final two weeks, all three candidates are struggling to boost their name ID with voters. Koster has the biggest campaign treasury and can finance a burst of television ads. But he also faces new allegations that he skirted campaign finance laws to raise the money.

The attorney general’s duties include defending the state in civil suits, handling appeals of criminal cases and enforcing consumer protection laws. The office is up for grabs because Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democrat, is running for governor.

Read the Rest…