Roger Wilson stepping down as head of Missouri Democratic Party

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Fresh off a pretty good election cycle for Democrats, former Gov. Roger Wilson announced Saturday that he is stepping down as chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party.

Wilson, 58, of Columbia, had served as party chair since August 2004, selected by Claire McCaskill after she defeated Gov. Bob Holden in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

McCaskill later lost the general election to Republican Matt Blunt but defeated Republican U.S. Senator Jim Talent last November.

Democrats also picked up seats in the Missouri House and Senate.

Wilson announced he would not seek another two-year term as chairman during Saturday's quarterly meeting of the Democratic State Committee, said party spokesman Jack Cardetti.

Instead, Wilson said he would appoint a seven-member committee to select a new chairman, who then would have to be elected by the committee, Cardetti said.

As the party's unpaid chairman, Wilson had been traveling to political meetings and fundraisers about a couple times a week, Cardetti said.

"He didn't think he could devote the same time and energy he had over the next 21/2 years," Cardetti said.

Wilson served as the Boone County collector and a state senator before being elected lieutenant governor in 1992 and winning re-election four years later.

He ascended to governor for about three months following the October 2000 plane crash death of Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan.