ST. LOUIS (KMOX) -- This week we've reported on a few new polls in Missouri's Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Two of these surveys show Vicky Hartzler in the lead. A third gives the edge to Eric Schmitt.
Their leads in these samples are razor-thin; on top by just a point or two.
Meantime, Billy Long is still hoping for a boost from a former President.
"If President Trump endorses in this race, it is over, whether he endorses me or endorses someone else," Long says. "He does what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. He tells everyone he loves me, 'I love Billy Long' and everything, but, hey, show me a little love!"
Hartzler, a Congresswoman from western Missouri, reacts to two recent polls, one from her own campaign, which show her leading the field.
"Our message that I am a lifelong conservative with the track record in Washington of being a fighter and getting things done is resonating," Hartzler says. "People understand I'm one of them."
She attributes her rise to her having a track record in D.C.
"St. Louis is a hub for research and agriculture. Missouri is very much a leader in producing the food and fiber for our world. It matters to have someone there in the Senate who understands our industry as well as the armed services," Hartzler says.
A ONE-ON-ONE RACE?
The third recent poll, from a group associated with Eric Schmitt, shows the state Attorney General leading. Eric Greitens has fallen from the lead in these polls after new sworn allegations of abuse by his ex-wife, which he denies.
"We may be looking near the floor for him at about 20-some-odd percent unless something else comes out," Lindenwood University political science professor Don Heidenreich tells KMOX News.
He says if there's still a logjam by the end of May, national Republicans may push for the several non-Greitens candidates to get behind one alternative.
Those involved in funding GOP Senate campaigns may say, "let's see if there's anyone who catches fire and eclipses Greitens. If not, then they'll basically say 'alright, we're going to intervene and we'll talk to the other candidates and see about getting everybody on board to make sure the seat stays in Republican hands,'" Heidenreich says.
RETAIL POLITICS
In separate interviews with fellow Audacy station 97.1 FM Talk, both candidates say their campaigns have had notable encounters inside Walmart locations.
Long, a Congressman representing southeast Missouri, says he recently walked into a store when his phone rang. It was former President Trump.
He described what happened: "Yes, Mr. President, I'm walking up and down the aisles of Walmart Neighborhood Market and I'm walking really fast because I don't want anybody to hear a complete sentence."
Hartzler says, while in the aisles, she's hearing about what might be the most pressing issue for constituents.
"I visited last week in Walmart with a senior citizen who's very concerned, living on a fixed income, and she's struggling with her grocery list," she says.
Long believes food prices will increase further with word President Biden will lift the summer ban on sales of E15 fuel, which uses corn. Hartzler pins the blame for rising prices on the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill passed last year.