The second time was a charm Tuesday for two area Republican candidates for the Missouri House of Representatives.

Wayne Wallingford, 64, and Donna Lichtenegger, 59, edged their opponents in tight races for the 158th and 157th House districts respectively. Both previously campaigned for GOP nominations for the House.

"I worked hard like I did the first time," Wallingford said. "I worked hard again."

Wallingford, a business executive at McDonald's and a former Air Force officer, said his background was an asset. Sixty-five votes separated him from Debra Tracy, 57, a city councilwoman and administrative assistant for the Cape Girardeau School District.

The seat was previously held by Tracy's son, Clint Tracy, who beat Wallingford for the Republican nomination in 2008. Clint Tracy won the Republican nomination on a crowded ticket for Cape Girardeau County presiding commissioner.

158th candidate Wayne Wallingford

Wallingford will be the fourth person to hold the 158th District Missouri House seat in less than four years if elected in November. He faces Libertarian Party candidate Robert Roland in the Nov. 2 general election. There is no Democratic candidate for the seat.

"Of course I'm going to make sure that I continue to visit with the people of Cape Girardeau," he said.

Kristin Ham, a voter at Westminster Presbyterian Church, voted for Wallingford and commented on his public service.

"I know him personally and have worked with him through the Optimist Club, on Respect for Law and Youth in Government Day," she said.

In the 157th House District, Lichtenegger, a longtime Republican activist, won with a 300 vote lead over 58-year-old Gerald Adams. Lichtenegger is vice chairwoman of the Cape Girardeau County Republican Central Committee and a member of the GOP State Committee.

"We've both run a fantastic campaign," she said. "It was a hard fight all the way around."

The district covers Jackson, northern Cape Girardeau County and all of Perry County except Perryville.

In Perry County, voters came out in favor of Lichtenegger. She garnered 1,168 votes in the county compared to Adams' 858. In Cape Girardeau County, Adams edged Lichtenegger by ten votes. Overall, Lichtenegger received 3,970 votes and Adams garnered 3,670.

Lichtenegger, a retired dental hygienist from Jackson, said she will continue to rally on a health care platform.

"I'm really hoping I can really make a difference with Medicaid fraud and abuse," she said.

The district incumbent, Republican Scott Lipke, is stepping down because of term limits and will become a circuit judge. Lichtenegger and Adams, a printer and member of the Jackson School Board, ran against Lipke in the 2002 Republican primary.

Lichtenegger faces Constitution Party candidate Jennifer Friedrich of St. Mary in the general election.

abusch@semissourian.com

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