Missour-ee or Missour-uh?

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Can someone help me figure this out.  As many of you know, I'm relatively new to St. Louis.  My wife, a native, tells me I am a resident of Missouri, pronounced "Missour-ee."  Every once in a while I'll hear someone, usually from a distant, rural part of the state say "Missour-uh."  I always thought that was a small minority, guilty of what's been described to me a a mispronunciation.

So imagine my surprise this morning when I see a campaign ad for Sarah Steelman.  She's a republican candidate for governor of the state.  Throughout the spot, the person doing the voice over, talks about how Sarah is going to save "Missour-uh" from all its troubles.  

Having covered politics for many years, I know these sort of things almost never happen by accident.  Every detail of a political spot is usually polled and researched, right down to the color scarf the candidate is wearing.  So what's the deal?

Does she really not care if she wins the St. Louis "Missour-ee-ans?'  Are the fine folks of rural "Missour-uh" enough to propel her to the governor's chair?  Do republicans call our state "Missour-uh" with a greater frequency than I was aware?  Or, are the people putting her campaign commercials together a bunch of morons?

I have a lot of research to do before I make a decision on who to vote for in the election, but I must say I would be hesitant to choose anyone who can't pronounce the name of the state they're running.  Am I alone? 

Then again, the current President of the United States calls our state "Missour-uh."  Technically he controls us along with all the "nuc-u-lar" weapons, and he's been elected twice!

Can anyone help me figure this out?