GOP CANDIDATES BRING CAMPAIGNS TO CAPE

The Democratic administration of Gov. Mel Carnahan is influenced by special interests, lobbyists and gambling firms, two Republican candidates for statewide office charged Tuesday.

State Sen. Bill Kenney, who is running for lieutenant governor, and Mark Bredemeier, who is running for attorney general, made a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau.

Kenney, a former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, and Bredemeier, a lawyer from Lee's Summit, spoke with reporters at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

They were accompanied by U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond and state Sen. Peter Kinder. They too fired a volley of criticism at the Carnahan administration.

Both Kenney and Bredemeier are seeking to unseat incumbent Democrats.

Kenney charged that Lt. Gov. Roger Wilson has done little in office. "The office of lieutenant governor today is almost a vacant office."

Bredemeier accused Attorney General Jay Nixon of grandstanding and being a publicity hound.

Bredemeier charged that Nixon's office:

-- Hasn't cooperated with local prosecutors in Missouri, leading to a recent effort by state lawmakers to strip the attorney general of some law enforcement power.

-- Has become inefficient with a backlog of cases despite the doubling of staff.

-- Has become incompetent, resulting in failed prosecutions.

"The single-most important thing a Missouri attorney general can do is to work with local prosecutors in fighting crime," Bredemeier said.

Kenney said, "As Missourians, we have seen our taxes soar, parental control of education erode and the cries of our neighbors, brutalized by violent crime, go unheeded," he said.

"In my two years as state senator, I have introduced and supported legislation to give voice to the concerns of the people of Missouri, not the special interests, lobbyists and gambling companies currently wielding unprecedented clout in Jefferson City," Kenney said.

Missouri's lieutenant governor serves as president of the state Senate and can vote to break tie votes.

Kenney said there have been several tie votes in the Senate in the past two years. But Wilson didn't break the logjam because he wasn't there, Kenney said.

Kenney insisted he wouldn't remain silent if he is elected lieutenant governor and Carnahan is re-elected governor.

"I think Mel Carnahan will have a miserable four years," Kenney said.