Prospective candidate bows out of House race

Retired Air Force officer Wayne Wallingford picked up an endorsement Monday in his bid for the Missouri House when one of his rivals for the GOP nomination stepped aside.

Harry Rediger, a retired businessman and member of the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission, withdrew from the race in a letter sent to Holly Lintner, chairwoman of the Republican committee that will make the nomination.

"I feel that it is very important that the committee be completely unified in their support of a candidate as they meet this Thursday evening, therefore I am going to fully support Wayne Wallingford as the Republican candidate for the 158th District," Rediger wrote.

Rediger did not return messages left at his home seeking comment.

The 158th District Republican Legislative Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at Dexter Bar-B-Que to choose a candidate. Lintner said Wallingford has been working hard to line up support, but said two other candidates -- Clint Tracy, son of Cape Girardeau City Councilwoman Debra Tracy and mortgage broker Gary Lange -- are also working to gather support. Tracy is currently deployed to the Middle East with the U.S. Navy.

"I do feel like Wayne has a lot of support from the committee," Lintner said. "He has made a lot of phone calls and spent a lot of time talking to committee members.

Cape Girardeau voters will cast ballots in a special election Feb. 5 to replace Nathan Cooper, who resigned Aug. 14 after pleading guilty to two federal felony charges of immigration fraud.

In his letter, Rediger said keeping the seat in Republican hands was important, and he saw in Wallingford many of the qualities needed in a candidate. Rediger said he, too, had those qualities -- maturity, honesty, integrity and experience -- but that he would withdraw in the interest of party unity.

Wallingford did not return messages left on his mobile telephone seeking comment.

The Democratic Party nominated former postmaster Mike Keefe and the Libertarian Party is putting up 2006 nominee George Webster in the Feb. 5 special election.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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