Democrat Chris Koster winning Missouri GOP endorsements, but will it move voters?

Chris Koster has spent the weeks since winning the Missouri Democratic nomination for governor racking up support from traditionally Republican groups.

The Missouri Farm Bureau made Koster the first Democrat to ever win its endorsement, which was quickly followed by a trio of rural Missouri farm groups and the Fraternal Order of Police. He’s also widely believed to be the frontrunner for the NRA’s endorsement.

“There are moderate Republicans out there who the one issue they have with Chris Koster is that he has a ‘D’ next to his name,” said Jack Cardetti, a veteran Democratic strategist in Missouri. “But when they see the Farm Bureau endorse Koster, it gives them permission to vote for him.”

Former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, the Republican nominee, downplays the importance of these endorsements. He’s betting on his outsider status to carry the day, as it did when he emerged from a bruising four-way GOP primary despite the state’s largest anti-abortion group not only refusing to endorse him but actively campaigning against him.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article97046107.html