Following Governor Matt Blunt's surprise decision to suspend his campaign for re-election, Missouri Republicans are scrambling to get to the head of the pack to replace him. Three major candidates have jumped in so far, all hoping to face likely Democratic nominee Jay Nixon. Still, with a relatively late primary, the crowded field of well-known candidates could only serve to bolster Nixon's chances in November.

The top Republicans have moved quickly to form their campaign teams and stake their claims to the nomination. In a four-minute video on his website, Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder said he looked forward to tax cuts and tougher positions on illegal immigration. The first-term number two hails from Cape Girardeau, just south of St. Louis near the confluence of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky.

State Treasurer Sarah Steelman's campaign hit Clay County yesterday, stressing education, health care affordability and the economy to what the Kansas City Star called about 20 people. Steelman had announced she would seek a second term as Treasurer early on January 22, but after Blunt made his announcement, later that day, she decided instead to seek the governorship. Steelman is a former State Senator from Rolla, a small town halfway between St. Louis and Springfield.

The two statewide elected officials are not alone in the race, though. Today, U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, who represents the Columbia-based Ninth District in the northeast corner of the state, plans to announce his own bid for governor, the Star reports. Hulshof has been calling top donors telling them of his decision, and a formal announcement will come today, GOP sources said.

Two other Republicans, moderate Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and former Senator Jim Talent, who ran for governor in 2000, have each said they will not run.

Hulshof likely begins as the front-runner, and in 2006 he spent more than $1.3 million. That's considerably more than Steelman's 2004 campaign, when she raised just over $900,000, and Kinder's, when he took in around $740,000. Kinder starts his campaign with about $275,000 in the bank, outpaced by Steelman's $330,000. Hulshof, FEC records show, has $350,000 in his federal account, though it is unclear how much he can transfer to a statewide bid.

No matter which candidate emerges from the GOP primary, they will likely face an uphill battle against Nixon, Missouri's Attorney General. Nixon has been running, albeit against Blunt, for most of the past four years, and recent polls had shown Nixon leading the Republican incumbent. Through the end of the year, Nixon had raked in an incredible $1.75 milion for his campaign, finance reports show. While Republicans have several candidates to be proud of, Nixon's advantage still makes the seat a better opportunity for Democrats than it is for Republicans.