Elections

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson was never seriously challenged in her bid for a seventh term Tuesday, building on her 2006 margin of victory even as trends went against Republicans nationwide.

Democrats prevailed again in Scott County, keeping the tradition of defeating GOP candidates as voters elected a Democrat by a significant margin in every one of the three local contested races.

More than 13,500 voters have paved the way for Republican Paul Koeper to assume the role of 1st District Cape Girardeau County commissioner Jan. 1.

The Democrats lost their best chance to pick up a legislative seat in Southeast Missouri when Republican Shelley Keeney of Marble Hill parlayed her job as a district aide to House Speaker Rod Jetton into taking over his job.

The story goes, according to one election observer in Jackson, that a woman brought her young daughter to the voting booth Tuesday. The mother filled out her ballot, handed it to the daughter and instructed the girl to put it into the machine to be counted.

Republicans claimed all the contested races in Bollinger County.

Roger Hudson will be Cape Girardeau County's treasurer for four more years.

Perry County experienced a hearty turnout in its 19 precincts, though not quite as high as they were predicting going into Tuesday's election, county officials said.

Totals are for presidential, governor, lt. governor and county commission races only.

John McCain/Sarah Palin (Republican) — 3,971Barack Obama/Joe Biden (Democrat) — 1,690Bob Barr/Wayne A.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Republican Rep. Jo Ann Emerson defeats Democrat Joe Allen to win re-election in Missouri's 8th Congressional District.The Associated Press declared Emerson the winner based on an analysis of current returns, voter turnout and previous voting patterns.

Highly motivated voters are turning out in the anticipated droves to polls in several Southeast Missouri counties."It's no secret. We knew and the voters knew it was going to be busy," said Sherri Lomedico, voter registration clerk in the Cape Girardeau County clerk's office.

A steady stream of people arrived at the Cape Girardeau County Clerk's office to file absentee ballots Monday.

With over half the precincts reporting in Cape Girardeau County, incumbent Republican county commissioner Jay Purcell has a sizable lead over independent challenger Rock Finch in the race for 2nd District commissioner.

Voters waited patiently in lines for up to 45 minutes this morning, supporting pre-election predictions that this year's balloting in Cape Girardeau County would set records for participation and total voters.

In the Perry County Commission race, Republican candidate Tim M. Brewer is vying against Democrat Patrick J. Heaps for District 1 Commissioner.

The barrage of door knocking, phone calls, text messages, radio, television and newspaper advertisements, spam e-mails and pop-up ads is almost over. Tuesday is Election Day.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin broke no new ground and repeated assertions about Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama that aren't based on the facts, a spokesman for the Illinois senator said Thursday.

With fewer than 120 hours before Missourians begin voting, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin put on a crowd-pleasing performance Thursday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

Since winning a legislative seat in 2000 with 58 percent of the vote, Jason Crowell has barely broken a sweat as he moved to re-election in 2002 and to the Senate in 2004.

The candidates are concentrating on the positive rather than the negative

Jackie Griffith was first in line Monday at Cape Girardeau County Republican headquarters for tickets to see Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Thursday at the Show Me Center.

When voters cast their votes for the 159th District Missouri House seat Nov.

District 2 Commissioner Jay Purcell raised more than twice the amount independent challenger Rock Finch took in during the period

Democrat Joe Allen thinks Jo Ann Emerson may be losing her appeal with fiscal conservatives

On Nov. 4, voters in the Eighth Congressional District will have four choices on the ballot. Along with incumbent U.S. Rep.

Jo Ann EmersonParty: RepublicanBorn: Sept. 16, 1950, Bethesda, Md.Spouse: Ron GladneyOccupation: Member of CongressChildren: 2 adult daughters, 5 adult stepdaughters and 1 adult stepson.

The county has been a Democratic stronghold for many years

Missouri Republicans are playing defense to keep their majority in the Missouri House of Representatives and they are pouring thousands of dollars into radio ads in the 156th District to hold the seat being vacated by House Speaker Rod Jetton.

Since August, Republican Clint Tracy has kept a low profile. He's attended a handful of candidate forums and raised a minimal amount of money. But it's nothing compared to the battle he waged to secure a win in the primary for 158th District representative.

Singer-songwriter Carole King stopped at Barack Obama's Cape Girardeau headquarters Wednesday evening "to give you a little love and a little sugar" to spur the campaign's effort in the final two weeks before Election Day.

When the candidates for Cape Girardeau County Commission took the stage at Tuesday evening's candidate forum, finding some difference with rivals that would help persuade voters proved, at times, to be difficult.

The state of the American economy coupled with costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be enough to turn local voters away from the Republican party and into the Obama-Biden camp, Dr. Jill Biden told supporters Saturday morning in Cape Girardeau.

War, immigration, gas prices and the economy are just a few issues for this year's presidential campaign. But the overriding issue, according to three war veterans and self-described wingmen for presidential candidate John McCain, is character.