Republican Smith trounces in special election for Missouri's 8th Congressional district [View all]

Missouri state Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, is the newest member of the state's congressional delegation.

Smith, 32, of Salem, easily won today's special election for the Eighth Congressional district in southeastern Missouri, beating fellow state Rep. Steve Hodges, D-East Prairie.

With 286 of 462 precincts reporting, Smith was beating Hodges more than two-to-one, 67 percent to 28 percent, a ratio that has held steady since polls closed at 7 p.m.

The district encompasses a huge swath of southeast Missouri, including Jefferson County, Cape Girardeau, the Bootheel and much of the Ozarks. It is largely rural and politically conservative—a factor that was made clear in a campaign that was largely a contest of Right vs. Right.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/republican-smith-trounces-in-special-election-for-missouri-s-th/article_ecb56264-4d5b-5493-8169-4c56d8d23334.html