By Shelley Conroy
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 11

Delegates: 35

Chairman: Ann Wagner

Hotel: Holiday Inn Cherry Hill (856) 663-5300

1996 Election:
Clinton – 48%
Dole – 41%
Perot – 10%

The Missouri Republican Party long has been characterized as conservative on social issues, and this year's delegation to the national convention is following suit.

Most Missouri delegates are decidedly anti-abortion, and many expressed their concern with "restoring morality to the White House."

Included in the Missouri contingent is a longtime leader among conservative Republican activists, Phyllis Schlafly. A founder of the conservative organization Eagle Forum, Schlafly is famed for her efforts to block ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment promoted by feminist groups.

Long a resident of the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area and a fixture in Illinois Republican convention delegations, Schlafly relocated across the Mississippi River and, this year, is an alternate delegate from Missouri.

Ann Wagner, chairman of both the delegation and the state Republican Party, said the delegation also will emphasize tax issues, education and Social Security while in Philadelphia.

Since Missouri's March 7 primary was a winner-take-all affair, Texas Gov. George W. Bush claimed all 35 delegates by winning with 58 percent of the vote.

The likelihood of a Bush victory in the state this November, however, is tough to tell. Missouri long has had at least a slight lean to the Democrats - the party of one of Missouri's most famous natives, President Harry S Truman - and President Clinton carried the state in both 1992 and 1996.

But a poll in early July by the Mason-Dixon organization showed Bush leading Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic presidential candidate, by 11 percentage points in Missouri.

Wagner said she believes that a Bush victory would mean good things for Republicans across Missouri. "We have a lot of competitive races this year," she said. "If Bush wins the election, especially among Missouri voters, the Republicans have a chance to gain control of the state again."

Among the state's big contests is an open-seat race for governor, with Democratic incumbent Mel Carnahan barred from seeking re-election by the state's term-limit laws. The Republican nominee for the post is expected to be U.S. Rep. James M. Talent.

Carnahan, in turn, is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. John Ashcroft in one of the nation's highest-profile Senate races.

The Missouri convention delegation includes two congressional incumbents, Sen. Christopher S. Bond and 9th District Rep. Kenny Hulshof, and a pair of long-shot hopefuls.

Z. Dwight Billingsly is running in the Aug. 8 GOP primary for the seat left open by retiring Democratic Rep. William L. Clay in the heavily Democratic 1st District. William J. Federer, an alternate delegate, is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, the House minority leader, in the 3rd District.

Of the 35 delegates, there are 21 men and 14 women. Wagner said, "We have a diverse group with representations of Hispanics and African-Americans. We have delegates from the city and some from rural areas. We also have delegates who are active in business. Everyone, however, has one, common theme: our support for Bush."

MISSOURI NOTABLES: U.S. Sen. Christopher S. Bond; state Republican Party Chairman Ann Wagner, also chairman of the delegation; Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the conservative group Eagle Forum and an alternate delegate; U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof.