HANCOCK CRITICIZES COOK OVER GRIFFIN'S ELECTION AS SPEAKER

John Hancock, Republican candidate for secretary of state, made an 11th-hour stop in Cape Girardeau Sunday at the end of a long tour through the state.

Hancock was on his way back home to St. Louis after a campaign sweep from Kansas City to Jefferson City to Rolla. He stopped for a news conference at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport where he took the time to criticize incumbent Secretary of State Bekki Cook.

"For the last few days I've been going around the state closing out my campaign on the exact same note on which it started," Hancock said. "And that is the principle of free and fair elections is the absolute cornerstone of our system of government. We must have a secretary of state who will understand and promote free and fair elections."

Hancock's comments related to the re-election to the speakership of Bob Griffin, even though Griffin was under criminal investigation at the time. Hancock has claimed Cook kept the vote for that position open for three days even though a one-vote margin to elect someone else had cleared within the first hour.

Cook said in a telephone interview Sunday that her role in the election of the speaker has been blown out of proportion by Hancock.

Cook presided over the opening of the state congressional session just three weeks after she was appointed to the secretary of state's office by Gov. Mel Carnahan in December 1994. Her responsibility was to oversee the election of a temporary speaker of the House who would then preside over the election of the permanent speaker.

When the House minority party, the Republicans, nominated someone other than the senior representative traditionally nominated, Cook saw it as an attempt by the smaller party to gain control of the process through confusion.

"It looked like a bushwhacking," Cook said. "One side of the floor looked shocked and the other side looked like they were bursting with glee."

Cook said she kept the vote open for three hours because there was a deadlock. Once the two sides began to talk and compromised on a candidate, she felt she had done the right thing. She said once a temporary speaker was elected -- in this case Rep. Gene Copeland, D-New Madrid -- and her responsibilities were fulfilled, she left and had nothing to do with the final outcome.

This point of contention between the candidates is one of many in the campaign, which Hancock called the nastiest he's ever been involved with. But with the campaign drawing to a close, both candidates agreed on one thing: Both said they are glad it is almost over.

"I guess all elections are nasty to some extent," Hancock said. "I'm going to be very thankful when this is over."

"I'm greatly relieved that it's almost over," Cook said. "I can't wait to have everything settled and get on with the business at hand."