TWO FROM AREA LAND POLITICAL POSITIONS

Two Southeast Missouri men will play key roles in election-year political campaigns in the state this fall.

Cape Girardeau native Jack Oliver will direct the Missouri Republican Party's campaign on behalf of GOP candidates from Bob Dole on down to state House races.

Roy Temple, who is from Puxico, will resign as Gov. Mel Carnahan's chief of staff Monday to manage the Democratic governor's re-election campaign.

Both men are veterans of four previous political campaigns.

The 27-year-old Oliver served as a volunteer on Sen. Christopher Bond's first Senate race in 1986.

Six years later -- after a stint in John Danforth's 1988 Senate campaign -- he played a major role in Bond's re-election campaign, serving as his chief fund-raiser and overseeing his campaign organization.

In 1994, he was deputy campaign chairman for John Ashcroft's successful run for the Senate. Oliver actually ran the campaign for much of the year. He was subsequently named deputy chief of staff for Ashcroft.

From his Jefferson City office, Oliver managed campaign offices in five congressional districts for Ashcroft and about 25 staff members around the state.

Ashcroft has loaned Oliver to the state GOP for the duration of the 1996 campaign. Oliver will serve as director of the Victory '96 campaign.

"Jack's a character. He operates at a very high warp speed," said state Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau.

Oliver served a brief stint as Kinder's administrative assistant in Jefferson City in 1993.

Kinder said Oliver knows the campaign business. "He knows every player on the ground in every part of the state," Kinder said. "He sees three steps ahead."

Ironically, Oliver's family tree is rooted in the Democratic Party. His great-great-grandfather, R.B. Oliver, served in the Missouri Senate as a Democrat.

Temple's campaign roots go back to 1986, when he supervised fund-raising efforts for Puxico farmer Wayne Cryts' unsuccessful bid for the 8th District congressional seat.

In 1988, Temple managed the unsuccessful congressional campaign of Democratic state Rep. Bob Feigenbaum.

Two years later, the Southeast Missouri State University graduate managed the unsuccessful campaign of Russ Carnahan for Congress in the 8th District.

But in 1992, he was on the winning side as political director for Mel Carnahan's 1992 gubernatorial campaign. Mel Carnahan is Russ' father.

While Temple's campaign skills will be directed toward the gubernatorial race, Oliver has a broader mission.

"The state party is committed to electing Republicans throughout the state and that is what we are trying to do," Oliver said. "We have a historic chance to take over the Missouri House. We are seven seats away."

Beating an incumbent governor is never easy, Oliver said. But he said Republicans would hammer away at the tax issue in an effort to elect Auditor Margaret Kelly as governor.

"The truth about Mel Carnahan is our best weapon," said Oliver. "He pushed through the largest tax increase in Missouri history without a vote of the people and broke his promise."

Temple, not surprisingly, views the issue differently.

"Senate Bill 380 was about educational reform in the state," he said.

Faced with a court decision on the school foundation formula, the governor and the legislature chose to address the issue of funding and educational reform, he said.

But both Temple and Oliver agree on one thing: Missouri will be a battleground state in this year's presidential election.

"You can look at the number of times President Clinton has been in the state of Missouri," Oliver said. "This state is absolutely important."

Temple said, "The White House clearly says it is a must-win state for both sides."

Temple said it is great to be in a state that counts in this year's presidential election.

"Who wants to be in states like Massachusetts and Utah?" Dole won't carry Massachusetts and Clinton doesn't stand a chance in Utah, Temple said.

Temple said campaign managers have to roll with the punches.

"Campaigns are a lot like news rooms on deadline," Temple said. "You've got to react quickly."