Jeff Harris
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Attorney General Jay Nixon's first-out-of-the-gate run for the Missouri governor's mansion has also kicked off another race -- for Nixon's current job. Nixon has already declared himself a Democratic gubernatorial candidate for 2008 and is considered a shoo-in. Now the jostling amongst state Democrats to succeed him as AG appears to have started, reports the Columbia Daily Tribune. House minority leader Jeff Harris has announced that he is seriously considering a run for Missouri Attorney General in 2008 even though he recently filed for another run at the Missouri Statehouse. Harris is a keen supporter of expanding access to government-funded health care programs like Medicaid and for programs aimed at getting more Missourians to attend higher education. He told the Daily Tribune today that House Democrats in the forthcoming legislative session will aim to restore Medicaid coverage to "senior citizens, working people, children and persons with disabilities." Harris also wants to focus on ensuring that every Missouri student who "is qualified to attend college is able to attend college." Harris said he has not yet made a final decision on running for AG but added that "people have approached me to look at a statewide run and I'm looking pretty seriously at it."