Emerson to announce gubernatorial plans Monday

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said Friday morning that she will announce Monday whether she will run for governor of Missouri.

Emerson, a Cape Girardeau Republican, has been considering a bid since Gov. Matt Blunt announced he will not seek re-election. Emerson revealed her timetable during a meeting with business and community leaders from around the Southeast Missouri area at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce.

The decision, Emerson said in an interview after the meeting, will come down to whether she wants to keep the Congressional seat she first won in 1996 or run for governor. Lesser state offices, such as lieutenant governor, do not interest her, she said.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, also of Cape Girardeau, has already announced his intention to seek the GOP nomination for governor. That has already caused other GOP leaders to look at his post, including former state representative Jack Jackson, who announced his intention Thursday to run for the lieutenant governor's position.

As governor, Emerson said, she would have the ability to have a strong impact on issues such as health care, poverty, agriculture and infrastructure needs.

"It is just easier to do that on a state level," she said.

Emerson has been an advocate for drug reimportation from Canada and other health care issues while in Congress, at one point voting against the Medicare Part D prescription drug program because it did not include reimportation or better controls on drug costs.

The decision about running for governor, Emerson said, would be based on the passion she feels for potential changes and also the logistics of campaigning while serving in Congress.

During the meeting, Emerson noted that her seniority in Congress is starting to pay off. With retirements and defeats of other Congressional Republicans, she expects to be the ranking member of an appropriations subcommittee if she returns for another term. If the GOP were to retake control of Congress, she would be a chairwoman of a subcommittee.

If she decides to stay in Congress, Emerson said, she will not be ready Monday to make an endorsement of any of the other potential candidates.

A new Internet blog was begun Thursday touting Emerson's candidacy. It played up her pro-life record, her support for the Second Amendment, support for tax cuts and ability to attract the votes of independents and moderate Democrats.

Emerson's Chief of Staff Lloyd Smith said he hadn't seen the blog Friday morning.

The Internet blog can be seen at http://draftjoann.wordpress.com/

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