By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis – Democrat Bekki Cook is getting back into politics. The former Missouri Secretary of State is touring the state this week to kick off her campaign for Lieutenant Governor.
The Lieutenant Governor's duties include presiding over the state Senate, a chamber Cook says has too much in-fighting.
"There has been a lack of civility, there's been a lack of progress in these past few years and a lot of it has been because people are in partisan battles," Cook said. "And they've drawn the lines and haven't looked for ways to better get along; they've looked for ways to fight."
Cook says Republican Peter Kinder and Democrat Ken Jacob are to blame for the combative tone. They're the two party leaders in the state Senate and also fellow candidates for Lieutenant Governor.
Current Lieutenant Governor Joe Maxwell is not seeking reelection for family reasons.