Emerson expects to decide on Senate run in 'a couple weeks'

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson has some soul searching to do.

The longtime Republican congresswoman is sitting down this weekend with her husband, labor lawyer Ron Gladney, for a long talk about her potential run for U.S. Senate. After tackling some tough questions, she said, she expects to make a decision "in a couple weeks" about whether she wants to challenge incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill in 2012 -- after facing her fellow party members in the primary.

But basically, she said, it comes down to this: "I love what I do. The question is, am I ready to leave what I do? I haven't answered that question totally."

Emerson, 60, was handily re-elected in November to an eighth term in the U.S. House, just as she has in every election since she replaced her late husband, U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, in 1996.

She is considered the dean of the Missouri delegation, because she has served in Congress longer than any other member in the state. Last month, she was appointed chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services, a high-profile and influential position that gives her financial jurisdiction over more than 30 federal agencies.

"The No. 1 priority for me is doing my job thoroughly and completely," she said. "That is one of the things that weighs on me heavily. I adore what I do."

Still, when she was called by several people "out of the blue" recently, asking that she consider a run for Senate, she took them up on it.

"They suggested I would be a very good candidate," she said. "These were not political consultants. After listening to their pitch to me, if you will, I said, 'OK, fine. I will think about this.'"

Emerson said she's conflicted, however. She's not sure a Senate seat would afford her an opportunity to be "up close and personal" with her constituents, spending time in the 8th District's 28 counties. She has gotten "to know people and be involved, personally, in solving problems," she said. "This might not be possible when running statewide."

The perfect example, she said, was her daily involvement for months in the aftermath of the 2006 tornado in Caruthersville and in many Southeast Missouri communities after the devastating ice storm in 2008.

"Can I do this as a senator?" she asked.

If Emerson does decide to run, she will face at least two fellow Republicans in a state primary -- former state treasurer Sarah Steelman and St. Louis lawyer Ed Martin.

Jeremy Walling, an associate professor who teaches political science at Southeast Missouri State University, questions whether Emerson has enough name recognition outside her own district.

"The only thing I wonder is if the rest of the state knows her name," Walling said. "But after what happened in the midterm election, maybe she's saying, 'Maybe the state doesn't know me, but there's an 'R' after my name.'"

Emerson is considered a moderate, which may create a bit of a problem, Walling said, where she might fare better in a statewide general election than in a party primary.

"It's the partisans that vote in the primary, where being a moderate might hurt her against hard-core Republicans," Walling said. "Being a moderate could be a strength in a statewide election, if she could ever get there."

With Emerson still weighing options, others are already speculating about who would replace her, with state Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, at the top of several lists.

"The name that keeps coming up is Jason Crowell," Walling said. "Who else is there? It's not Nathan Cooper. And I think he'd win. I think if he wants to do it, the seat's probably his."

Crowell, who is forced out of office by term limits next year, said he hasn't given it a thought.

"I wish Jo Ann well," Crowell said. "It's a rough decision. It's her decision to make, but I have not spent one second thinking about running for Congress or serving in Congress. I'm getting married Oct. 15. That is my life. Any decision that will be made will be made for our future and not for my future."

Emerson loyalists are already rallying around her. A Facebook page has been set up, called "Draft Jo Ann Emerson for U.S. Senate 2012." Kathy Swan, a Cape Girardeau City Council member and friend of Emerson's for nearly two decades, said she would be pleased if Emerson decided to run.

"She does what she thinks is right," Swan said. "She does her homework. And I think she does have name recognition, due to the length of time she's been in Congress. She's established a reputation as someone who will study the issues and make a good decision."

Emerson, for her part, said she won't commit to doing something if she can't commit fully.

"If I did it, I'd do it 100 percent," she said. "The question is how do I do that 100 percent and still give 100 percent to my job in the 8th District. I have tons of energy, but I just physically need to know if it's possible."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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