POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR SENATE WEIGHING OPTIONS

With boundary lines for the 27th senatorial district now official, and as the Jan. 14 start of filing approaches, potential candidates for the seat of retiring Sen. John Dennis are spending the holidays in contact with possible supporters and other likely candidates.

At least a dozen candidates are considering a run in the Senate race next year.

Dennis, who has been the senator since 1977, announced in July he would not seek a fifth term.

Last week, a panel of state appeals court judges agreed on new lines for Missouri's 34 senatorial districts. The 27th district will continue to include the counties of Cape Girardeau, Scott, Mississippi, and Bollinger, and will add Perry and Madison Counties.

New Madrid County is moved under the plan to the 25th district now represented by Sen. Jerry Howard, D-Dexter.

Howard loses Ripley and Carter counties but adds Wayne and New Madrid Counties to Stoddard, Butler, Pemiscot, and Dunklin.

Earlier this month, most of the potential candidates said they would wait for approval of final district boundaries before making their decisions whether to run.

Now that they are in the midst of the holiday season, most of them are in no rush to formally declare their candidacy.

Few potential candidates were surprised that Perry and Madison Counties were added to the district, and when the final map was announced, it merely confirmed what most had expected.

Two weeks ago Sikeston Mayor Bill Burch said he likely would announce his candidacy the day the district was official, but now says he'll wait until after the first of the year.

"I'm not saying at this point that I am running, but I am still very, very much interested," said Burch. "I'm still going around the district talking to people."

Burch won't seek re-election to the Sikeston City Council next year, where he has served for nine years including six years as mayor.

State Rep. Mary Kasten, R-Cape Girardeau, said she also is serious about entering the race, but hasn't had time to focus on a decision due to the holiday season and her son's wedding last weekend

"I think people are concentrating on Christmas right now and I am too," declared Kasten. "I am really, really seriously looking at it; I very definitely am. I still have some people I want to talk to."

Kasten is in her fifth term in the Missouri House.

Other Republicans who have publicly expressed an interest include Josh Bill, a Sikeston insurance agent, and Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep.

Huckstep said he make his decision after the first of the year, while Bill said he will continue to talk with Republican leaders around the district and to try to determine who all is interested.

"I guess I'm waiting for some other announcements," said Bill. "I am talking to some Republican leaders in Cape Girardeau, seeing what their feeling is. A lot of that will be dependent upon who the candidates may be from Cape."

Bill said whoever decides to run will have to wage a strong campaign to capture the nomination, and ultimately, the Senate seat.

"It's a darned important job that means an awful lot to 154,000 people," said Bill. "I respect all the names I've heard as potential candidates.

"Anybody who wants to run for this has to be willing to campaign in areas other than where they live. They must be able to meet new people and branch out to new acquaintances. It will be a draining experience."

Eighth Congressional District Republican Chairman Blair Moran, of Sikeston, said he believes Republicans have a better chance to win the 27th district now than in past years.

"I think Republicans probably get better feelings out of redistricting than the Democrats did," said Moran. "From a political standpoint, I think a Republican would have a better chance of capturing this seat than in previous years because of taking out New Madrid County."

Moran said he believes the Republican race at this point is a toss up, but he expects the picture to clear as all the candidates step forward.

As for the Democrats, Moran said the strongest candidate he has heard of is Burch.

Although many claim the addition of Perry County and loss of New Madrid County will make the district more Republican, Moran said he thinks it's too early to call this a Republican seat.

"There are so many variables; the national and state ticket may have a trickle down effect on the State Senate race," he said. "It is too early to predict who will win the seat, a Democrat or Republican.

"But with redistricting, Republicans have a better chance than they have had."

Eighth District Democratic Chairman Todd McBride of Cape Girardeau, who also is a possible candidate, stressed the importance of fielding a Democratic candidate who can win and respond to the needs of the entire district, not just a certain part of it.

McBride said he anticipates a lot of discussion during the holidays as potential candidates try to reach a decision. He said he thinks the first person to enter the race might lead some potential candidates to abandon their desire to run.

Fund raising also is a consideration for the candidates. In recent years, spending $100,000 to win a Senate seat in out-state Missouri has been common.

Rep. Ollie Amick, D-Scott City, whose district was carved into three other districts as part of House redistricting, is yet to decide whether to run for the Senate seat or challenge State Rep. Dennis Ziegenhorn, D-Sikeston, for his House seat.

Amick said the new district lines make the district more Republican, but he feels a Democrat can win.

"Clearly there are more Republican voters in Perry County than New Madrid County, however the present senator in Perry County and their state representative is a Democrat," said Amick. "I don't think the district will be the big factor next year. I think it will be a Democratic year anyway.

"At least now you know where you stand. Now it is a matter of weighing strengths and weaknesses and then making a decision."

Other Democratic candidates who have said publicly that they might run are: Hugh White, a Cape Girardeau City Councilman; former State Rep. Betty Hearnes of Charleston, who also is the wife for former Missouri Gov. Warren Hearnes; and Pat Lea, a Sikeston area businessman who once served as chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party.