Democrats Win Two of Three Special House Races

Democrats have won two of the three special elections for vacancies in the House of Representatives. One of the elections is considered a surprising defeat for Republicans. Democrat Michael Frame has won the seat for a district that includes parts of St. Louis, Franklin and Jefferson Counties. Frame won 1,919 votes, nearly 46% of the vote. Republican Ed Groom won 1,783 votes, nearly 43% with Libertarian Rich Ford picking up 488 votes, almost 12%. Republican Dwight Scharnhorst has won a close race for a seat in St. Louis County. Scharnhorst garnered 2,422 votes, almost 52% of the vote. His opponent, Democrat Genevieve Frank, won 2,247 votes, just over 48% of the vote. In southwest Missouri, in a district considered strongly Republican, Democrat Charles Dake won easily, getting 2,035 votes, 55.5% of the vote. Dake beat Republican Eric Seifried, who received 1,631 votes, 44.5%. The district voted for both Republican Governor Matt Blunt and Republican President George W. Bush two years ago. The results leave Republicans still firmly in control of the House, 97-66.