Missouri GOP Director Lloyd Smith Interested in Vacated House Seat

Lloyd Smith, the executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, emailed members of the Republican congressional committee saying he is interested in the nomination for retiring Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's House seat in southeast Missouri. Although currently based in Jefferson City, Mo., Smith lives in East Prairie, Mo. His ties to the Emerson family go back several decades when Bill Emerson was in Congress.

* According to the Southeast Missourian, Smith wants to talk to committee members to answer questions about his "background, family faith, philosophy of government and political experience." Because there is no primary election, committees from both parties will recommend one candidate for a general election in the spring.

* The seat up for grabs is Missouri's 8th District, which covers southeast Missouri and huge swaths of rural farmland over dozens of counties. Someone named Emerson, either Bill or Jo Ann, has filled that seat since 1981.

* Smith served with the Emerson family for 28 years. At one time, he served as Jo Ann Emerson's chief of staff before becoming the head of the Missouri GOP in 2009. MissouriNet News reveals Smith also worked on the campaigns of former Sen. Jim Talent and former President George W. Bush.

* Other Republican candidates mentioned as possible successors to Emerson include Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, former state treasurer Sarah Steelman and state Rep. Todd Richardson of Poplar Bluff. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reveals a committee of around 100 individuals will select the GOP candidate for the 8th District's special election in early 2013.

* Kinder helped run Bill Emerson's campaign in 1980 that got him elected in the first place. Kinder's difficulty is that he was beset by scandals for a few years leading up to the 2012 election. The lieutenant governor is the only Republican elected to statewide office in November. The 8th District has been a Republican stronghold for years, thanks in part to Bill Emerson.

* Smith's ties to Emerson family run deep. He delivered the late Emerson's eulogy in 1996 after the representative died of lung cancer. Smith said of his boss, "He loved the people and we loved him. His staff, whom he loved and encouraged, is a legacy to Bill."

* Gov. Jay Nixon must set the special election date to decide Emerson's successor, according to the Southeast Missourian. If an election is chosen soon enough, the representative said she will consider stepping down in late January instead of early February.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/missouri-gop-director-lloyd-smith-interested-vacated-house-205700343.html

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