COOK KICKS OFF CANDIDACY SUNDAY

Missouri Secretary of State Rebecca Cook will formally announce her candidacy for a full four-year term at a rally in Cape Girardeau Sunday.

The rally will be held on the lawn of the Common Pleas Courthouse in downtown Cape Girardeau at 5 p.m.

On Monday, Cook will hold press conferences to announce her candidacy in St. Louis, Jefferson City, Kansas City and Springfield.

Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed Cook as secretary of state on Dec. 16, 1994 following the ouster of Judith Moriarity. That appointment made her the first Cape Girardeau County native to hold statewide office in 93 years.

If elected this fall, Cook would be the first Cape County resident to be elected to statewide office in Missouri in a century.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III will introduce Cook at the rally. The event is open to the public.

Cook, 45, was raised in Jackson and practiced law in Cape Girardeau for 17 years. At the time of her appointment, she was a member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

She is married to John Cook, a Cape Girardeau lawyer. They have two children.