But for the most part, as Kander and his supporters have actively criticized Blunt over the past year, Blunt has avoided directly engaging him, saying the campaign hadn’t yet started. That presumably will change soon.

When asked why he didn’t mention Kander during his announcement speech Friday, Blunt said: “There’s going to be plenty of opportunity to talk about that. What I want to talk about is my record . . . I’m confident I’ve been representing this state the way they want to be represented.”

Missouri is among a cluster of states with Republican-held Senate seats whose outcomes will determine the control of the Senate under a new president.

Blunt isn’t considered a top-tier target this year in the vein of neighboring GOP Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois. However, Democratic and Republican national Senate campaign operatives in Washington have made it clear they don’t consider Blunt’s re-election to be assured.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been producing online ads attacking Blunt over his son’s status as a lobbyist. The National Republican Senatorial Committee’s most recent digital ad against Kander hits him for raises he approved for his employees in the Missouri Secretary of State’s office.