HECKEMEYER, SCHAAF, NAEGER WIN

Joe Heckemeyer took a step toward following his father's footsteps into the Missouri House of Representatives Tuesday night by capturing the Democratic nomination for state representative in the 160th District.

Heckemeyer, of Sikeston, sailed to victory by piling up 77 percent of the vote against Jim Spooler of near Oran. Heckemeyer received 4,099 votes, while Spooler got 1,186.

He is the son of Scott-Mississippi County Circuit Judge Tony Heckemeyer, who served four terms in the Missouri House from 1965-72.

Heckemeyer will face Republican Josh Bill, a Sikeston insurance agent and city councilman, in the Nov. 8 general election.

The winner will replace Rep. Dennis Ziegenhorn, D-Sikeston, who did not seek re-election. Ziegenhorn was first elected in 1980.

In the only other Southeast Missouri legislative race on the primary ballot Tuesday, voters in the 155th District of Perry and Ste. Genevieve counties nominated Thomas Schaaf and Patrick Naeger by wide margins. The district has been represented by Ste. Genevieve Democrat Herb Fallert since 1983. Fallert did not seek re-election this year.

In the Republican primary, Naeger, the Perry County coroner, captured 77 percent of the vote. Naeger, 27, received 2,372 votes, to easily outpoll Elbert "Al" Bohnert, who had 527, and James D. Williams, with 189.

On the Democratic side, Schaaf, a 40-year-old heavy equipment operator from Ste. Genevieve, captured 54 percent of the vote in a four-way race.

Schaaf received 1,727 votes, followed by Mel Thurman with 820, Franklin "Dutch" Schmidt with 349, and Ray Krahn with 314.

The 160th District Heckemeyer and Bill are running in has a large part of Scott County that includes the city of Sikeston, Miner, Morley, Benton, Kelso, New Hamburg and about two-thirds of Scott City.