INCUMBENT LAWMAKERS RECLAIM THEIR LEGISLATIVE SEATS

Three incumbent Democratic state representatives in Southeast Missouri survived Republican challenges Tuesday.

Reps. Joe Driskill of Poplar Bluff and Herb Fallert of Ste. Genevieve won their sixth two-year term while Rep. Marilyn Williams of Dudley claimed her second term in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Driskill defeated Gaylord Harvey of Fairdealing by a margin of 6,726 to 2,713; Fallert outpolled James D. Williams of Minnith, 9,399 to 3,861; and Williams defeated Terry Ernst of Oran, 4,145 to 1,990. (Returns include most, but not all precincts.)

Driskill and Williams won their seats in districts that are considerably different than the ones they were elected from previously. Legislative redistricting changed the boundaries for both representatives.

Williams moved into a larger part of Stoddard County and out of Bollinger County. The new 159th District includes all but the Bernie area of Stoddard County and Morley, Oran and Chaffee in Scott County.

Driskill lost part of Ripley County, including the city of Doniphan, but picked up the part of Bollinger County previously represented by Williams. That area includes Marble Hill, Zalma and Leopold. Driskill's 156th District also includes Wayne County, and parts of Butler and Ripley counties.

Fallert's 155th District still includes all of Perry County and most of Ste. Genevieve County. Re-districting gave Fallert a larger part of Ste. Genevieve County, moving him into the Bloomsdale area.

All other state representatives in the area won new terms Tuesday without opposition. Republicans who won without opposition this year were: Mary Kasten of Cape Girardeau, in the 158th District, a sixth term; David Schwab of Jackson, in the 157th District, a third term; Mark Richardson of Poplar Bluff, in the 154th District, a second term; and Jim Graham of Fredericktown, in the 106th District, a second term.

Democratic representatives who won new terms were: Larry Thomason of Kennett, in the 163rd District, a third term; Gene Copeland of New Madrid, in the 161st District, a 17th term; and Dennis Ziegenhorn of Sikeston, in the 160th District, a seventh term.

Ziegenhorn won a close Democratic primary race with Rep. Ollie Amick of Benton. The two wound up in the same district as a result of the re-districting process.

In the 162nd District, Don Prost of Caruthersville ran unopposed for his first term. Prost claimed the seat in the August primary when he defeated three-term incumbent Opal Parks.

In the 25th Senatorial District of New Madrid, Stoddard, Butler, Wayne, Pemiscot and Dunklin counties, Jerry Howard was elected to a new term without GOP opposition. In August, he won a three-way Democratic primary to re-claim his seat.