Blame the corrupt judges who kept the polling places open in the last two elections, and the rampant voter fraud. Gephardt's opponent (can't remember his name) was cheated twice out of victory.
St. Louis is an ultra-liberal welfare haven and keeps electing a guy named William Clay over and over again (which is not suprising, the Clay machine is the Missouri version of Jesse Jackson's district in Chicago).
On the other hand, Dickie's district is in the middle-class, St. Louis SUBURBS. Why they keep electing him is anybody's guess! He almost lost back in '98.