Kinder says he won't run for governor in 2012, announces re-election bid

Peter Kinder put an end to months of conjecture Friday, announcing that he will not run for governor next year and instead will work to retain his seat in the No. 2 spot.

In a release that never mentions the Cape Girardeau Republican's presumptive candidacy to unseat Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, Kinder instead simply announced his bid for re-election as lieutenant governor.

Kinder declined requests for comments from the Southeast Missourian, only saying that the prepared release was all he was prepared to say.

"I'm not giving interviews; I'm not elaborating," Kinder said.

In the release Kinder did, however, throw his support behind the newly launched campaign of Republican businessman Dave Spence, calling him the Republican Party's "best chance of defeating Jay Nixon."

Kinder had long been the Republicans' presumed gubernatorial candidate, but his campaign was rocked by damaging revelations before it ever officially began.

Earlier this year, Kinder repaid the state more than $54,000 for lodging expenses after it was reported that he had spent hundreds of nights at St. Louis hotels, some of which coincided with society galas, sporting events and other nongovernmental functions.

Then in August, Kinder acknowledged in another published report that he had repeatedly visited an Illinois strip club when he was a state senator in the 1990s. A few Republicans, including one major donor, called on Kinder not to run for governor.

Kinder then announced he would seek feedback from Republicans around the state before making a decision on the 2012 gubernatorial race.

On Friday, several prominent Republicans declined to speculate on the record as to why Kinder backed out of the race.

Holly Lintner, executive director of the National Federation of Pachyderm Clubs, said there had been rumblings all day Friday and she had been expecting the news.

When asked why she believed Kinder opted not to run, she said: "I'm just going to leave it at that's obvious. I think the writing was on the wall."

But not everyone was buying into the theory that Kinder's recent struggles were the only factor in his decision not to run. Will Miller, an assistant professor in Southeast Missouri State University's political science department, said that Kinder still must have reason to believe he can win a statewide election since he's going to run for lieutenant governor.

Miller also made reference to the published image of Kinder standing next to the dancer from the strip club.

"Besides that stupid picture, I don't know why he doesn't want to run," Miller said. "That's been long enough ago that I don't know why he would drop because of that. My personal guess is he personally just doesn't want to run for governor or he sees something in the [polling] numbers that would suggest to him that it's just not the right opportunity for him to run."

This marks the third time in the last three gubernatorial elections Kinder has backed away from the race. Kinder's decision not to run in 2012 leaves just two declared Republican candidates -- Spence and former Kansas City attorney Bill Randles.

House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, said Friday he supported his friend's decision not to run for governor. Tilley dropped his own bid for lieutenant governor earlier this month, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Tilley said that his decision changed the playing field a bit.

"But the reality is I would have deferred to Peter anyway," Tilley said. "He's done a good job for the state."

While Tilley said he has no way of knowing why Kinder made his decision, he said it cleared the picture. He said Kinder's decision ultimately was "selfless" and "good for the party."

Tilley believes Spence will be the candidate that will get the party's backing, making the choice easier for voters.

Democrats disagreed. The Missouri Democratic Party responded to Kinder's decision with a statement of its own.

"Jay Nixon's prospects for re-election have never been stronger," said party spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki. "Missourians know that Gov. Nixon has been a strong leader in these tough times. ... Meanwhile, the Missouri Republican Party is once again struggling to find a mainstream candidate who is up to the task."

Kinder's decision Friday already was causing reverberations in the lieutenant governor's race. St. Louis businessman Chris McKee, who had just announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor, dropped out of the race Friday after Kinder's announcement.

In a release, McKee said he had decided to support Kinder, calling him a "strong leader for Missouri and a friend."

State Sen. Brad Lager of Savannah said Friday he remains a candidate but hopes to talk to Kinder and would re-evaluate whether to stay in the race.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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