Three Democrats vying for chance to face Rep. Jo Ann Emerson

Democrats will decide Tuesday between two familiar faces and one newcomer in their primary with the winner taking on longtime incumbent Jo Ann Emerson in the 8th Congressional District.

Three candidates -- Veronica Hambacker, Gene Curtis and Earl Durnell -- are vying for the right to face Emerson, who won by a 3-to-1 margin in 2004 in a district that has consistently voted Republican since 1980.

Hambacker, of Salem, Mo., is a retired English teacher and former president of the Missouri State Teachers Association. This is her first congressional campaign.

Hambacker says she has experience both running a statewide campaign and overseeing significant fiscal responsibilities. From 1991 to 1994 she served as president and vice president of the state teachers association, where she worked with state agencies. She also served as chairwoman of the board of the Public School Retirement Systems of Missouri from 1994 to 2002. During her time on the board she watched as $9.2 billion in school employee retirement funds grew to $22 billion.

Despite her background in education, Hambacker insists she is not a "one-topic candidate."

"I have over 20 years of government experience, I am a student of politics and have been for many years, and I can tell you that our nation is in serious trouble," she said.

"This administration has policies that are destroying our environment and destroying the future of our children, and I believe people are becoming very disenchanted with what's going on in Washington."

Hambacker said she is running a grassroots campaign and wants to shake hands with as many people in the 8th District as possible.

Hambacker has raised $20,398 for her campaign, compared to $815,823 for Emerson. Curtis and Durnell have each raised under $5,000.

Curtis, a poultry farmer and mayor of Matthews, Mo., is making his fourth bid for Congress. Curtis says at the age of 6 he contracted tetanus lockjaw and was in a coma for six days. He believes if hospital bills then were at today's levels, his family would have had to sell the farm to pay for his recovery.

"The more I talked to insurance providers, the more I realized I couldn't afford what they were presenting," said Curtis, who received an insurance broker's license in the 1970s. "They were presenting insurance plans designed by the insurance companies to limit their own liability, so I said to myself, 'Whoa, we need a new plan here.'"

Curtis is proposing a federal health-care plan that would deduct 20 cents per hour from employee payroll across the country. The resulting money would be used to set up nationalized health care. This would aid what Curtis estimates are 100 million people with no insurance or who are underinsured. He said his goal is to get people talking about health care.

"I know Jo Ann is strong and well thought of, but if I can get a health-care debate going in Southeast Missouri, I'll really feel like I've accomplished something," he said.

Durnell, a Cabool cattle rancher who owns more than 1,500 acres in southern Missouri, has run in three congressional races, first as a Republican and then switching parties after an unsuccessful 1996 run.

Durnell said this time around he started by running a muted campaign, but has recently raised his profile with more public appearances and advertising. He said the 8th District is primed to move to the political left.

"People are not defending the swagger and the smirk of the president the way they used to. I think the Iraq war and other economic issues are weighing heavily on their minds," he said.

"I think some voters might pick up a Democratic ballot for the first time and some others might not vote at all. Hopefully it will add up to a Democratic buffer in the House and Senate."

Durnell said trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA have helped kill the farming and ranching sector of southern Missouri. He believes the 2007 Farm Bill will be a watershed moment for the future of the family farm. He believes he is better suited than his opponents to craft it. He is also proposing a national food reserve that would contain a year's supply of wheat, corn and grain to be used in the event of an emergency.

"I feel my experience in farming operations has taught me how to deal with economic issues, management and coordinating people in the real world. Farming is a harsh environment where you either produce or perish, and it takes a farmer to really understand that," he said.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

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