Perryville's state representative may seek Senate seat

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Freshman state Rep. Kevin Engler will explore the possibility of running for the Missouri Senate next year, a move that could open up his seat in the House of Representatives.

"I'm going to test the waters," said Engler, a Republican.

Engler's House district stretches from his hometown of Farmington to Perryville. The Senate district he is eyeing covers seven counties along the northern and western rim of Southeast Missouri but doesn't include Perry County, which is in a different district currently served by Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau.

Perryville's previous state representative, Republican Pat Naeger, and House Majority Floor Leader Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, are interested in replacing the term-limited Kinder.

Engler, a broker with Edward Jones Co., plans to form an exploratory campaign committee in the coming weeks to raise money for a possible Senate run. He won't make a firm decision on whether to officially declare his candidacy for the 2004 Republican primary until at least October.

The fact that the Third Senatorial District leans Democratic is giving him some pause.

"If it was a 50-50 Democrat and Republican district, it would be a no-brainer," Engler said. "I have the name recognition. I need to see if the money and support is there."

Engler was the mayor of Farmington last September when the state Republican Party recruited him to run for the House less than two months before the general election. Engler replaced then-state Rep. Tom Burcham of Farmington as the GOP nominee after Burcham received a court order removing his name from the November ballot following a drunken driving arrest.

Despite Engler's late entry into the race, he easily won the seat. If he doesn't run for the Senate, he may choose to seek re-election to the House. Although Burcham still has an active campaign account, he said won't seek to reclaim the seat should Engler pursue a spot in the upper chamber.

State Rep. Dan Ward of Bonne Terre has already formed a campaign for the Senate district's Democratic nomination. Ward, an insurance agent, is in his third House term. He couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Because of a redistricting plan approved in 2001, the Third Senatorial District has technically been without local representation since state Sen. Danny Staples' term ended in January. Staples, D-Eminence, died of a heart attack last week.

Under the redrawn boundaries, Staples' old 20th District was transferred to southwest Missouri and the Third District moved from St. Louis to take over most of Staples' old territory.

State Sen. Harry Kennedy, D-St. Louis, was elected to the Third District seat under the old map. He will seek re-election in the district in which he now resides.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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