FOSTER UNSEATS HOWARD IN BITTER BATTLE

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Rep. Bill Foster of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was declared a winner over incumbent Sen. Jerry T. Howard of Dexter, Mo. in the 25th District state Senate race.

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Foster, a Republican, had 53.2 percent of the vote, with 29,708 ballots. Howard earned 46.8 percent of the vote, with 26,107 ballots cast in his favor.

Foster carried Butler, Wayne and Stoddard counties. Howard carried New Madrid, Pemiscot and Dunklin counties.

"At this point I think it would be impossible for him to catch up," Foster said. However, by midnight Foster had still not declared victory but was confident of a victory.

Howard's campaign wasn't ready to concede defeat. No one could be reached for comment at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday once final results were in.

Republicans fell short of their goal of picking up two more Senate seats to claim a majority in the chamber for the first time in a half century. However, Foster's win means an even 17-17 split in the chamber, at least for the moment.

Three of the four mid-term senators running for higher office were victorious. Two of those are Democrats and one a Republican. Their departures will mean Republicans hold a 16-15 majority but that would be two votes shy of the 18 vote constitutional majority required to pass legislation. Special elections to fill the vacancies could be held no earlier than late January.

Democrats looked to maintain control in the House of Representatives.

The 25th district race was a rematch of the 1990 special election that brought Howard, then a state representative, to the Senate. Howard prevailed over Foster, who wouldn't be elected to the House until 1993, with 56.9 percent of the vote.

This year's campaign had been a particularly testy one, with the state Republican Party levying various allegations of wrongdoing at Howard. One claim centered around a 1993 purchase of property at the Lake of the Ozarks by Howard. A special prosecutor investigating the matter last month declared there was no basis for a criminal prosecution.

Another GOP charge -- that Howard had bilked money from his campaign -- prompted an investigation by the Missouri Ethics Commission. Two weeks ago, Howard said a commission official had notified him by phone that he had been cleared in that matter as well. A state Republican official dismissed Howard's statement as wishful thinking.

However, Howard's campaign on Monday received a letter from Ethics Commission Executive Director Charles Lamb dated Nov. 2 officially confirming Howard's earlier statements. The commission doesn't comment to third parties about investigations.

Except for Howard's seat the political makeup of Southeast Missouri's General Assembly delegation of three senators and 14 representatives remained the same.

Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, won a third term running unopposed. The area's third senator, Democrat Danny Staples of Eminence, Mo., wasn't up for re-election this year.

On the House side, the local split remains unchanged at six Democrats and eight Republicans. Five of those Democrats -- Reps. Phillip Britt of Kennett, Mo., Denny Merideth of Caruthersville, Mo., and Don Koller of Sommersville, Mo., Wayne Crump of Potosi, Mo., and Dan Ward of Bonne Terre, Mo. -- and two Republicans -- Reps. Mark Richardson of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and David Schwab of Jackson, Mo. -- were unopposed.

All three open seats up for grabs remained in Republican hands. In Cape Girardeau, Jason Crowell beat Democrat Tom Neumeyer with the seat currently held by Rep. Mary Kasten.

Foster's seat went to Rod Jetton of Marble Hill, Mo., who topped Democrat Katherine Golden of Hiram, Mo. Tom Burcham of Farmington, Mo., defeated Democrat Linda Cruse, also of Farmington, to claim the seat of Rep. Jim Foster of Fredericktown, Mo.

Four incumbents -- one Democrat and three Republicans -- fended off challenges to retain their seats. Rep. Marilyn Williams, D-Dudley, Mo., downed Republican Rob Mayers of Dexter, Mo. Rep. Pat Naeger, R-Perryville, Mo., beat Democrat John Wibbenmeyer of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Rep. Peter Myers, R-Sikeston, dispatched Democrat Fran Robison of Sikeston, Mo., and Rep. Lanie Black, R-Charleston, Mo., defeated democrat Van Harry Sharp of New Madrid, Mo.

None of those contested races was close, with the victors carrying landslides in all seven cases.