CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The National Right to Life Political Action Committee today announced it is endorsing Jo Ann Emerson for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We are especially appreciative of Jo Ann’s opposition to the massive healthcare legislation that was recently enacted – legislation that will provide government funding for health plans that pay for abortion on demand, and will promote the rationing of lifesaving treatments,” said David O’Steen, Executive Director of the National Right to Life Political Action Committee.

“The work National Right to Life is doing each and every day is critical to the protection of the unborn,” said Emerson. “I am honored and very proud to have their support and I look forward to working with them in the future to ensure legislation we enact never again provides for taxpayer funded abortion as this disastrous healthcare law does.”

Citing Emerson’s support for an amendment to the health care law that would have prevented federal funding of abortion and future federal administrative decrees that could expand abortion, National Right to Life commended Emerson for her 100 percent pro-life voting record in the 111^th Congress.

Earlier in the campaign, Emerson received the endorsement from the Missouri Right to Life Political Action Committee.

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POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – Tonight at Three Rivers Community College, in the second debate in the race for U.S. Representative from Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District, Jo Ann Emerson again demonstrated that she is the only candidate willing and able to lead; and willing and able to stand up to President Obama and Speaker Pelosi’s disastrous big government agenda.

As the debate largely focused on agricultural and environmental policy, Emerson offered honest, direct answers and solutions, while Mr. Sowers, who painstakingly took steps to hide his liberal views from voters, apparently suffered a case of déjà vu.

“Our farmers are under threat not only from foreign competitors, but folks in metro areas that don’t understand food doesn’t come from the grocery store, it comes from the farm,” said Emerson. “Southern Missouri farmers produce the safest, most affordable food in the world and it’s critical that we provide them every opportunity to send their products to market.”

Emerson reminded the Poplar Bluff audience that Mr. Sowers’ campaign chairman, Wes Clark, attending one of Sowers’ out-of-district fundraising events, said “driving through Poplar Bluff is sad now” (showmeprogress.com, June 16, 2010) and questioned why Sowers wouldn’t disavow the statement even though he was present. Emerson pointed out several job creation efforts led by the community, and said she remained proud of her district and her neighbors.

Clark also promised to visit the Eighth Congressional District once informed that the Central West End of St. Louis was not within the district’s borders, a promise he has not kept.

On the subject of the EPA and its effort to impose costly restrictions and regulations that threaten to decimate southern Missouri’s rural economy, Emerson, who is cosponsoring a resolution of disapproval aimed at preventing the EPA from singlehandedly destroying rural America’s economy, again proved she is leading on the issue while Mr. Sowers dodged the question.

“The EPA is not a friend, it’s an economic crisis in itself,” said Emerson. “Nancy Pelosi and others in California think that the same standard used in California should apply to Missouri, that’s just not right.”

Emerson has a strong record of fighting on behalf of farmers, families, and workers against these job-killing, tax-raising regulations the EPA seeks to impose, while one should responsibly wonder who Mr. Sowers would fight for; the residents of the Eighth District or the environmental, cap-and-trade extremists who have donated more than $13,000 to his campaign.

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When the chips are down, it’s always nice to have someone to turn to for help. That was the case when Ozark Border Electric Co-op experienced its worst ice storm in its history in January 2009.

During its annual meeting held Aug. 7, the cooperative thanked U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives CEO Barry Hart for their role in helping restore power to the cooperative’s members.

“During the first 24 hours of the outages, we realized we needed help from other cooperatives and our first call was to the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives who arranged for 150 linemen from 20 cooperatives to assist us in restoring power,” said Ozark Border Manager Stanley Estes. “But we needed more help. That’s when our representative, Jo Ann Emerson, assisted by arranging for contractors working near our service area to come and assist us rather than going to another state.”

Emerson’s help was especially important because it kept more than 3,000 lineworkers in the area helping not only Ozark Border but also SEMO, Pemiscot-Dunklin and M&A Power cooperatives restore service.

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