POSHARD WINS FINAL TERM, COSTELLO CARRIES DISTRICT

MARION, Ill. -- Glenn Poshard has won his fifth and final campaign.

Poshard, D-Marion, has been declared a winner over Brent Winters in the sprawling 19th District that includes portions of 27 counties in Southern Illinois.

With a third of the votes in, Poshard held a 69 to 31 percent lead, his widest margin in five congressional campaigns.

The victory marks the second straight time Poshard defeated Winters in a general election. Two years ago, Poshard was a 58 to 42 percent winner, the closest race in Poshard's previous campaigns.

"I wanted this fifth campaign," said Poshard from his Marion office Tuesday night. "I've always said that congressmen should not make a whole career of being in Congress."

In another Southern Illinois congressional race, Democratic incumbent Jerry F. Costello was declared winner in the 12th District over Republican Shapley R. Hunter. Costello had 73 percent of the vote with 45 percent of the ballots in.

Poshard said when he ran for representative the first time he never wanted to serve more than 10 years.

"The vote in this final campaign is gratifying," said Poshard. "It's gratifying that the voters turned out to offer me support for the final campaign."

After two more years, Poshard will retire from politics.

"I will have been in politics 16 years then," he said.

Poshard, a former schoolteacher and administrator, has enjoyed solid re-elections in previous congressional races ranging from 58 to 64 percent of the vote.

Poshard said he will likely return to being an educator when he leaves Congress, adding that he won't endorse anyone to succeed him in two years.

Before his first election to the House, Poshard served in the Illinois Senate six years, from 1982 to 1988. He holds a doctorate in administration of higher education from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and had taught and was an administrator from 1970 through 1984.