Team Emerson and elections timeline

Bill Emerson

Nov. 4, 1980 -- Taking on six-term Democratic incumbent Bill D. Burlison for the 10th District Congressional seat, Republican Emerson of De Soto surged to victory by a 55-45 percent margin. It was the first time in more than a half a century a Republican won the 10th District post.

January 1982 -- Emerson moved his family to Cape Girardeau, allowing him to run for re-election in the newly formed 8th Congressional District. Rep. Wendell Bailey, R-Willow Springs, then held the 8th District seat, but decided not to run against fellow Republican Emerson.

Nov. 2, 1982 -- Emerson hung on to defeat Democratic challenger Jerry Ford of Cape Girardeau by a 53-47 percent margin to retain the 8th District seat.

Nov. 6, 1984 -- Sweeping all but one county of the 8th Congressional District, Emerson easily warded off a challenge by Democrat Bill Blue of Rolla. Emerson claimed 66 percent of the vote.

Nov. 4, 1986 -- While Democratic challenger Wayne Cryts of Puxico began election evening with an early lead, incumbent Emerson quickly overtook him. Emerson claimed 12 of the 15 counties in the 8th District, ending the night with a 53 percent majority.

Nov. 8, 1988 -- Emerson amassed overwhelming majorities in Republican strongholds and carried most firmly Democratic counties to gain re-election to a fifth congressional term. Democrat Cryts won in only three counties. Emerson's margin of victory was 58-42 percent.

Nov. 6, 1990 -- Emerson piled up 57.3 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Russ Carnahan of Rolla. Emerson carried all but four of the 26 counties in the district.

Nov. 3, 1992 -- On a night when Democrats were winning from the White House to the statehouse, Emerson celebrated an easy victory over Democrat Thad Bullock of Cape Girardeau and write-in candidate Harold Reed of Glenallen. Emerson won in all 26 counties in the 8th District.

Nov. 8, 1994 -- Emerson cruised to an easy re-election victory in a three-way race. On a night when Republican wins mushroomed nationwide, Emerson captured about 69 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Jay Thompson of Bourbon and Libertarian Greg Tlapek of Cape Girardeau.

October 1995 -- Emerson was diagnosed with lung cancer.

March 20, 1996 -- Emerson, his travel restricted for health reasons, filed for a ninth term in Congress by mail.

June 22, 1996 -- Emerson died of lung cancer at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md., at age 58.

June 25, 1996 -- House and Senate colleagues of Emerson passed legislation on unanimous voice votes to name the new Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.

Jo Ann Emerson

July 25, 1996 -- Jo Ann Emerson, widow of Bill Emerson, armed with some 9,500 signatures on petitions, filed as an independent candidate in the November election for the 8th Congressional District. Bill Emerson died after filing for a ninth term, but since two other Republicans were left on the Aug. 6 primary ballot, Secretary of State Bekki Cook said filing for that election couldn't be reopened, preventing Jo Ann Emerson's name from appearing on the primary ballot and forcing her to file as an independent.

Nov. 5, 1996 -- Voters elected Independent/Republican Emerson to Congress. She defeated Democrat Emily Firebaugh of Farmington and three other candidates, Republican Richard Kline of Gipsy, Libertarian Greg Tlapek of Cape Girardeau and Natural Law Party candidate David Zimmer of Cape Girardeau.

Nov. 3, 1998 -- Eighth District voters handily re-elected Emerson to a second term. She defeated Democratic challenger Tony Heckemeyer of Sikeston and Libertarian John Hendricks of Jackson.

Nov. 7, 2000 -- Emerson swept the election for the 8th Congressional District, taking 70 percent of the vote over Democrat Bob Camp of Cape Girardeau.

Dec. 13, 2003 -- Emerson cut a ceremonial cable to officially open the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge in Cape Girardeau.

Nov. 5, 2002 -- With a 69 percent margin, Emerson defeated Democrat Gene Curtis of Matthews for the 8th Congressional District seat.

Nov. 2, 2004 -- Emerson easily won her fifth two-year term in Congress, piling up huge totals in her home county of Cape Girardeau and in many of the other 27 counties in the 8th District. Democrat Dean Henderson of Peace Valley was a distant second, followed by Libertarian Stan Cuff of Poplar Bluff and Constitution Party candidate Leonard Davidson of Salem.

Nov. 7, 2006 -- Rep. Emerson won re-election, beating Veronica Hambacker, former president of the Missouri State Teachers Association from Salem.

Nov. 4, 2008 -- Rep. Emerson was never seriously challenged in her bid for a seventh term, even as trends went against Republicans nationwide. Emerson defeated Democratic challenger Joe Allen of Mansfield.

Nov. 2, 2010 -- Republican incumbent Emerson resoundingly won her ninth re-election bid to the U.S. House of Representatives, besting Democratic challenger Tommy Sowers of Rolla, whose rally cry of sending "new blood" to Washington largely fell on deaf ears. Also running were Independent Larry Bill of Jackson and Libertarian Rick Vandeven of Chaffee.

Nov. 6, 2012 -- Emerson, Missouri's longest-serving member of Congress, received 75 percent of the vote in the 8th District to win her 10th term. She defeated Democrat Jack Rushin of Poplar Bluff and Libertarian Rick Vandeven.

Dec. 3, 2012 -- Emerson announced she was resigning her congressional post after 16 years to head the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Jan. 22, 2013 -- Emerson resigned her 8th District congressional seat, setting the stage for a special election on June 4.

Feb. 9, 2013 -- Jason Smith, Missouri's House speaker pro tem, was chosen to be the 8th Congressional District's Republican candidate by the vote of an 84-member committee at Van Buren. Other hopefuls were former Missouri Republican Party director Lloyd Smith, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, former state legislator Jason Crowell and state Rep. Todd Richardson.

Feb. 9, 2013 -- The Libertarian Party nominated Bill Slantz to be its candidate for the 8th Congressional District at a meeting at the Scott County Courthouse in Benton.

Feb. 16, 2013 -- State Rep. Steve Hodges, a conservative Democrat from East Prairie, won his party's nomination to run for the 8th Congressional District after only one round of voting at a meeting of the selection committee at Poplar Bluff. Other hopefuls were funeral home director Todd Mahn of De Soto and former Blodgett Mayor Markel Fitchpatrick.

March 6, 2013 -- The Southeast Missourian reports the Constitution Party has selected Bill Enyart, a U.S. Marine and professional forester from Piedmont, to run in the special election to replace Emerson.

Source: Southeast Missourian archives