Cook endorsement

The Kansas City Star

The lieutenant governor's biggest job, next to succeeding a governor who dies in office, is presiding over the Senate.

If voters want a lieutenant governor who will keep the Senate in political turmoil, as it was during much of the last four years, they should vote for Peter Kinder, the Republican from Cape Girardeau. Kinder, a lawyer, is the president pro tem, and he knows and uses the political tricks that give his party the advantage.

Kinder has mellowed his positions somewhat since he decided to run for statewide office. He seems more cooperative. He joined with Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell, a Democrat, to pass a nursing home reform bill he had once opposed. His leadership on keeping down a nasty bill that would kill stem-cell research was appreciated in Kansas City.

But Bekki Cook is a much better choice for lieutenant governor. A former secretary of state, she knows the state and its government well.

From her years of dealing with county election officers, Cook also knows how to work with others. A lawyer who has represented clients in courtrooms, she would be no pushover in the Senate. But Cook, also of Cape Girardeau, could be expected to be more even-handed than her opponent in presiding over the Senate.

Also in the race are Mike Ferguson, a Libertarian from Belton, and Bruce Hillis, a Constitution Party candidate from Dexter.