PARTIES ALREADY GEARING UP FOR 2002 SENATE RACE

Shortly after the Missouri General Assembly ended its 2001 legislative session last month, Senate Democrats were asked what their top priority would be for 2002. The response was immediate and brief.

"Winning the Senate back," said state Sen. Ronnie DePasco, D-Kansas City.

Democrats in the upper chamber lost their 52-year grip on power in January. Many veterans were at first apathetic about their new role as the minority after losing their committee chairmanships and ability to control the Senate agenda.

State Sen. Ken Jacob, D-Columbia, said his party learned from the experience the importance of getting the Democratic message out to voters. After years in the majority, Democratic senators were complacent and forgot the need to contrast their party's record with that of the GOP, Jacob said.

"I think that our loss in January really brought us together as a party," Jacob said.

In the seven months leading up to the start of the next session, Senate Democrats will be crafting an agenda they hope will resonate with voters the following November. Key issues will be transportation funding and education improvements.

Likewise, Republicans are laying similar groundwork. Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said the GOP goal isn't just keeping the seats they have but building on their tenuous one-vote advantage.

Kinder cited similar issues as Democrats as the foundation upon which the GOP agenda will be built. However, Republicans will pursue a different course on those issues.

Education funding

For example, Kinder said it appears there is a "looming crisis" in education funding. This year all sides -- the Republican Senate, the Democratic House of Representatives and Democratic Gov. Bob Holden -- claimed credit for fully funding the state's education formula for the budget year beginning July 1. With growth in state revenue expected to be flat for next year, Kinder predicted finding sufficient money for education will be more difficult.

Pointing out a policy difference on which Republicans will try to capitalize, Kinder said some Democratic senators are already calling for a tax increase a the solution for the problem.

"It seems like that is their first resort on everything," Kinder said. "First it was transportation and now it is education, and it is never enough. The Republican view is we've got to learn to live within our means with existing revenue."

Open seats

However effective each side is in pursuing their respective goals next year, the impact of legislative term limits will add a new and significant wrinkle to the 2002 Senate elections.

Half of the 34 seats in the Senate will be up on the ballot. Of those 17 seats, 12 are held by incumbents who can't run again seven Republicans and five Democrats.

With so many open seats, no candidate in a majority of Senate races will be able to claim first-hand credit for the success of their respective parties. Republicans will be hit harder by this. In addition to having more total and open seats on the ballot, the GOP will be defending more seats in swing districts than Democrats, whose open seats tend to be in areas traditionally loyal to the party.

Despite that factor, Kinder said Republicans will be well positioned to retain control.

"We are working now to select great candidates in each of the races, shore up our fund-raising and run excellent campaigns to expand our majority," Kinder said.