HECKEMEYER OUTPOLLS BULLOCK IN 8TH DISTRICT

SIKESTON -- Former circuit judge Tony Heckemeyer cruised to victory Tuesday in the Democratic primary for the 8th District congressional seat.

Heckemeyer's win sets the stage for a November showdown with the Republican, 8th District U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau.

The Sikeston Democrat garnered 23,865 votes in the 26-county district to 14,293 for Thad Bullock of Cape Girardeau and 11,624 for Richard Kline of Gipsy.

A total of 49,359 votes were cast in the Democratic 8th District primary.

Heckemeyer won 13 counties. Bullock, a former piano store owner and perennial candidate, won in nine counties. Kline, who ran two years ago as a Republican, came out on top in five counties.

Heckemeyer won by wide margins in his home county of Scott County, as well as in Cape Girardeau, Stoddard and Mississippi counties.

His largest vote total in a single county was in Scott County where he received 5,635 votes.

"I have won a lot of races in my life. This may be the most thrilling," said Heckemeyer prior to addressing a crowd of supporters at his campaign office in Sikeston.

Heckemeyer has won previous races as circuit judge and state representative.

Throughout the primary campaign, Heckemeyer had ignored his Democratic opponents and leveled his criticism at Emerson.

He has painted Emerson as a carpetbagger, who is out of touch with the district.

Heckemeyer said he wants to debate Emerson. "I think the people of this district deserve a good debate and not a namby-pamby deal," Heckemeyer said.

Heckemeyer claimed Tuesday night that some of Bullock's support came from Republicans.

"I know there was an active phone bank working in the Bootheel," he said.

Emerson, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, said from Washington that there was no organized effort by Republicans to cast votes for Bullock.

"We didn't have any kind of get-out-the-vote effort because I was uncontested in the primary," she said.

Emerson said she is willing to discuss the issues at public forums with both Heckemeyer and Libertarian Party candidate John Hendricks of Jackson.

"I don't think it is fair quite frankly to ignore a third-party candidate," Emerson said.

"The campaign is about issues and it is about putting people before politics. It is not about debating debates," she said.

"I honestly believe the voters should be given full access to the candidates who are running," Emerson said.

"I intend to run an issues-oriented campaign. Being in Congress is not a partisan responsibility," she said.