Democrats have four interested in vacated House seat

Cape Girardeau County Democrats have four potential candidates for the seat opened by Nathan Cooper's resignation, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't consider any others, party chairwoman Brenda Woemmel said Tuesday.

Party leaders held a private meeting with two of the candidates last week, Woemmel said. Another meeting will be held soon -- she did not say where or when -- and more may be held before a nominating committee meets to select a candidate.

The four candidates include Mike Keefe, retired from 21 years as Cape Girardeau's postmaster, and Matt Hill, a lawyer who challenged Cooper in the 2006 election. The names of the other two candidates, who have not stated their interest publicly, are being withheld, Woemmel said.

Woemmel announced the actions to find a candidate during the quarterly meeting of the Cape Girardeau County Democratic Central Committee in Jackson. Party leaders met at the County Administration Building.

The party is seeking a candidate for the Feb. 5 special election to replace Cooper. On Aug. 9, Cooper, a Republican, pleaded guilty in federal court to two felony counts of immigration fraud. He resigned Aug. 14 from the Missouri House.

Cooper represented the Missouri House's 158th District, which includes most of Cape Girardeau. The three established political parties in the county -- Republican, Democratic and Libertarian -- have the right to name candidates to appear on the Feb. 5 ballot. Candidates seeking to run as independents or under the banner of another party must file petitions bearing signatures of 239 registered voters from the district with the secretary of state's office by Nov. 15.

"What we are looking for in a candidate is someone who is willing to work the grassroots," Woemmel told about 30 Democrats gathered Tuesday evening.

The closed-door meetings to screen candidates have included past candidates, she said, in order to provide prospective nominees with a clear picture of what it is like to run in Cape Girardeau, which leans heavily toward Republicans. The district hasn't elected a Democrat since 1980.

"We are not naive," Woemmel told the committee. "The candidate must be willing to work and be enthusiastic about the race. We will have a good opportunity in this particular office."

By putting prospective candidates in a room with past nominees, Woemmel said, the party is giving them a "reality check."

"We thought it would be better to make sure people really want to run," Woemmel said. "And I am still taking names of people interested in running."

Woemmel explained to the central committee members that only members who live within the boundaries of the 158th District will have a vote on the nomination. The chairman of the 158th District Committee, pharmacist Sam Unnerstall, must set a meeting date within two weeks of receiving official notice of the special election.

The Cape Girardeau County Republican Central Committee met Monday evening, and party leaders announced they have no one who is enthusiastic about seeking the seat.

Meetings to select candidates must comply with the state Open Meetings Law, which requires posting of notice of the meeting and an open meeting for the selection. In addition, the meeting must be held within the 158th District.

The special election will be held the same day as the Missouri presidential primary. While Democrats voting in the 2004 presidential primary outnumbered Republicans, there was little need for Republicans to go to the polls because President George W. Bush was running unopposed.

In 2000, when Bush was matched against Sen. John McCain of Arizona in a vigorous contest, Republican voters outnumbered Democrats by more than 5,000 ballots.

The candidate seeking the Democratic nomination will need to have a strong ethical sense, Unnerstall said. Any candidate nominated by the GOP will be well-funded, he said, so the candidate must be willing to try to overcome that advantage through hard work.

"It is a daily chore you have to go through," he said. "You have to hit it every day."

rkeller@semissourian.com

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