Emerson wins re-election based on early returns

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.

Emerson, of Cape Girardeau, wins her seventh term in the state's most sparsely populated district.

She first won the seat in 1996 to replace her husband, Bill Emerson, who died in office.