EMERSON KEEPS 8TH HOUSE SEAT

Jo Ann Emerson spent the final hours of her campaign to remain in the U.S. House of Representatives shopping at the grocery store, taking her mother-in-law to the eye doctor, and voting at the Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. She has made a tradition of not campaigning on election day, she explained.

This strategy did not hurt her, as the Republican incumbent swept the election for the 8th Missouri Congressional District. With a majority of precincts counted, Emerson took 70 percent of the vote, or 122,265 votes, defeating Democratic challenger Bob Camp of Cape Girardeau's 27.7 percent, or 48,151 votes.

"I'm very happy and proud of the vote," said Emerson at her victory party at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn. "I have done the very best I can do to listen to all the folks in the district. ... I think that's the way to do my job, to listen."

Emerson said she has clear priorities in mind for the next congress. Among these, she said, is to build a soy diesel plant in the 8th District.

"That's going to be one of my very major focuses," she said.

Emerson was first elected to Congress in November 1996 to fulfill the remainder of her late husband Bill Emerson's term. She was re-elected in November 1998.

Camp, 50, said he did not regret his decision not to accept a single cent in campaign contributions.

"All across our country, folks are talking about campaign finance reform while they continue to accept donations. ... I raised zero dollars and spent zero dollars," said Camp, who followed precinct results on his Internet connection at his home.

"I was hoping to make the point that you didn't have to spend a million dollars to run a legitimate race," he said.