A who’s who of area politicians showed up to support Robin Carnahan’s Senate campaign on Sunday afternoon. Among the speakers were U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis).

Robin Carnahan is currently the underdog in a tough fight against Republican Roy Blunt for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Robin Carnahan has been trailing by anywhere from nine to 13 percentage points in some polls. She led Blunt in the campaign at the end of 2009, but the two were dead even at the beginning of the year, and Blunt has been in the lead since.

“A lot of these guys want to write the story of this election before anybody has even voted yet,” Robin Carnahan said Sunday. “At this point, we all know that it’s about who shows up to vote. If folks show up, we win. If folks show up, our voices win. If us folks show up, we’re going to be represented in Washington.”

The rally was held at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. More than 300 people were in attendance.

During the rally, the campaign focused attention on negative campaign ads targeting Robin Carnahan from American Crossroads, a conservative political group whose leadership includes Karl Rove. Contributions from billionaires make up the large majority of American Crossroads’ funds.

“We have Karl Rove with secret ads, negative ads, untrue ads, paid for by Texas millionaires trying to tell Missouri how to vote. When it comes to dirty and low-down campaigning in America, Karl Rove crawls on his belly like a reptile,” Durbin said.

Robin Carnahan struck a similar tone.

“In Missouri, they’re not going to be fooled by a bunch of big money from undisclosed sources that want to control the government,” Robin Carnahan said.

After the rally, Robin Carnahan emphasized the role that college students and young people play in the election.

“In the 2008 election, young people made a huge difference in the election because they voted … To set the course for a country, you’ve got to be vigilant about it,” Robin Carnahan said.

Her brother, Russ Carnahan, noted that initiatives that affected students, such as health care reform and the student loan program, would depend on this election.

“Wash. U. students and students everywhere should be especially focused on this election because it has a lot to do with the direction of our country,” Russ Carnahan said. “And frankly, there are a lot of folks, our opponents in these elections, mine in particular, that want to take this country backward.”

Washington University sophomores Abby Pribble and Luke Schiel attended the rally. Schiel has been working for the Carnahan campaign as a finance intern but emphasized the need for all Washington University students to vote.

“A Senate election is important for anyone because senators determine policies for the entire country, not just the state of Missouri. We need Democrats to have a majority in the Senate if we want progressive policies passed,” Schiel said. “Wash. U. students can do that, and it will affect everyone no matter where they’re from.”

“Wash. U. students are here for four years, so they might as well take an interest,” Pribble said.