Primary will fully decide several county-level races

The contentious race between two former political allies will come to an end. Two rematches -- one for a place in Jefferson City, the other in Washington -- will result in challenger upsets or victorious incumbents. And the contest that has created the most crowded field of candidates in the last two decades will be narrowed to two.

And all but one is a member of the Grand Old Party.

When area residents vote in Tuesday's primary election, they will be providing mostly definitive answers in several Cape Girardeau County races that drew only Republican candidates. That means, in several races, the winner Tuesday night will be the candidate that advances to the post.

"It's a heavily Republican county, no doubt," said Rick Althaus, a political science professor at Southeast Missouri State University. "It's hard to believe, but there are people alive in Cape Girardeau County who remember back when almost all of the office holders were Democrats. Now the shoe is on the other foot."

Local Republicans won't entirely decide statewide fights Tuesday. But, even then, they're being asked to help select fall challengers in an attempt to unseat incumbent Democrats Gov. Jay Nixon, Attorney General Chris Koster and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. They will also get a chance to weigh in on whether Cape Girardeau native Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder gets a third term.

A key winner-takes-all race that includes only Republicans is the one for the 27th District for Missouri Senate, where two sitting House members -- Wayne Wallingford and Ellen Brandom -- are trying to claim outgoing Sen. Jason Crowell's seat. In recent weeks, the two have exchanged barbs via television and radio ads attacking the other for not being conservative enough.

Wallingford's replacement for his House seat will be Cape Girardeau City Council member Kathy Swan. No Democrats filed to oppose her.

In the Jackson-based 146th District, incumbent Rep. Donna Lichtenegger is trying to stave off two fellow Republicans -- first-time challenger Van Hitt, a former high school football coach, and school board member Gerald Adams. When Lichtenegger first beat Adams in 2010, she won by fewer than 300 votes.

Jay Purcell, the two-term Cape Girardeau County Commission incumbent, also has challenges from two members of the GOP, former city council member Charlie Herbst and retired banker Moe Sandfort. Three Republican newcomers, Amy Jones, Ron Andrews and Bob Adams, hope to replace the county's retiring lone Democratic officeholder, Assessor Jerry Reynolds.

A total of 13 Republican candidates for public administrator will square off Tuesday for a chance to take on the single Democrat who will face the winner in the Nov. 6 general election. A Democrat loss there will leave the county government without an elected Democrat in office.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, a Cape Girardeau Republican, will again take on challenger Bob Parker in the Republican primary. Parker, who is predicting a "win that will stun the nation" on his Twitter account, garnered just 34 percent in 2010. The winner there will face a Democrat challenger in the 30-county 8th Congressional District.

"All of these Republican races here is probably disheartening to local Democrats," Althaus said. "But it's probably no different than how Republicans who live in St. Louis feel."

A typical Cape Girardeau Republican ballot has 50 candidates, while a Democratic ballot from the same precinct has 18.

Regardless of party affiliation, Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers believes that the big draw for the primary is that there are so many races and familiar names up and down the ballot. Summers predicts that 35 percent of the county's 52,152 registered voters will participate. That's higher than statewide predictions of 25.56 percent.

"People are passionate one way or another about their candidate," Summers said. "There are so many local candidates this time running. We've got a lot of different local races. All of these candidates have friends and family that are supporting them. That's a lot of people."

Summers stressed that Missouri offers an open primary, meaning that voters may take a ballot for any party and vote for those candidates. Missouri does not require voters to affiliate with any political party when they register; however, voters must choose a specific party ballot or a noncontested ballot. A noncontested ballot would only have the constitutional amendment on it.

Many voters are confused when an elections judge asks them which ballot they want. Some worry it will become publicly known which ballot they drew, which does not happen, Summers said.

The county's 29 polling places open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642