Missouri’s Secretary of State is defending her interest in a post to the state supreme court. Bekki Cook’s potential candidacy compares with two other women who’re both appellate judges. But Cook is friend to Governor-elect Bob Holden. She insists, though, Holden will weigh all the candidates equally. Cook says anyone who thinks otherwise is selling the governor-elect short. Holden will choose from a panel of hopefuls named by the state bar. Cook has spent the last several weeks helping Holden with his transition team and has talked about returning to her Cape Girardeau home. Judge Ann Covington, the only female on the supreme court, is retiring.
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