KINDER'S COMMENTARY: STATE SENATE RACE IN SOUTH-CENTRAL MISSOURI HOLDS SOME LESSONS

A titanic struggle for control of the Missouri Legislature, in which millions were spent on both sides, yielded little change this past week. The official scorecard will show that Republicans, in spite of being outspent statewide, defeated three House Democrats while suffering no losses among their own troops. The three defeated Democrats were Joe Heckemeyer of Sikeston, Carol Stroker of St. Louis County, and Charlie Fritts of Butler on the Kansas border. Republicans had to defend a worrisome 10 open seats, where incumbents chose not to run, and suffered their losses there. The result is no net change, with 86 Democrats, 76 Republicans and one Independent. Amazing observers statewide is the narrow win by Charleston farmer Lanie Black, who defeated the former state representative and first lady, Betty Hearnes, to win a seat no Republican has ever held.

Standing out in Tuesday's elections was one race in the south-central Missouri district held since 1982 by state Sen. Mike Lybyer, a Texas County Democrat. Lybyer, the powerful chairman of Senate Appropriations, had been in the Legislature, with one two-year exception, since his 1976 election to the House.

Two years ago, this column had this to say of Lybyer, after a visit:

"Lybyer is a conservative Texas County Democrat of easygoing, friendly disposition. ... The Big Man long ago earned a reputation as a guy with a great sense of humor. ...

"That evening Lybyer and others of us joined ... for dinner. ... We enjoyed a fine meal with a valued colleague of mine. ... Thanks to Mike for taking the time and trouble in a long and tiring day."

For these kind words I received a nice letter in reply, in which Lybyer welcomed me to the Appropriations Committee. My relationship with Mike Lybyer is a valued one and an example of the comity that can extend across party lines in the Missouri Senate.

On Tuesday, Mike Lybyer lost every single one of his eight counties, winning barely 41 percent of the vote. His victorious opponent, youthful and attractive Sara Steelman of Rolla, carried every precinct in all eight counties except three in heavily Democratic Callaway County. Wednesday morning, a rueful Lybyer told a friend, "I barely carried my coffee group."

In fairness, 1991's redistricting left Lybyer an odd district with no natural base, stretching from Texas County up through Rolla and north through heavily Republican Gasconade County, then across the Missouri River into Calloway County in the heart of Little Dixie. The 16th District is ground won by every Republican running statewide since 1982, in good years and bad, with the sole exception of the 1992 race between political cripple Bill Webster and Mel Carnahan.

With Sara Steelman's victory, the Republican caucus in the Missouri Senate is -- at 16 members against 18 Democrats -- larger than it has been in 52 years. As recently as 1990 there were only 11 Republican senators. The shrunken Senate Democratic caucus has lost its last conservative and so lurches left. Gov. Mel Carnahan of Rolla is represented by a conservative Republican.

On Wednesday, Carnahan talked big about beating U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft in two years. Ashcroft carried every county in the 16th District his last two times out. The governor and his handlers might want to spend some time sifting through the ruins of his party's loss in what used to be Lybyer's district, where lessons abound.

Something about a few key liberal votes Carnahan persuaded Mike Lybyer to cast, against his better judgment.

~Peter Kinder is assistant to the president of Rust Communications and a state senator from Cape Girardeau.