Lieutenant governor bid starts for Kinder

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder is on the verge of launching a campaign for the No. 2 executive branch office in the state.

"I am laying plans to officially announce my candidacy for lieutenant governor," said Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, on Thursday.

He deferred further comment until he formally declares his intent to run. That announcement should come no later than the first week of September, he said.

Assuming he faces no opposition in next year's Republican primary, Kinder will challenge incumbent Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell, a Democrat from Mexico, Mo., in the 2004 general election.

Maxwell was attending the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

Kinder, 49, was elected to the first of three Senate terms in 1992. He became the first Republican Senate leader in more than a half century in 2001. This will be his first bid for a statewide office.

Kinder, who in recent months had considered running for attorney general, is assistant to the chairman of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian.

If elected, Kinder would become the third Cape Girardeau County resident to serve as lieutenant governor. Franklin Cannon held the post from 1836 to 1840, and Wilson Brown served from 1853 to 1857. Both men were Democrats.

Bekki Cook of Cape Girardeau was the last county resident to hold any statewide office. Cook, a Democrat, was secretary of state from 1994 to 2001.

In addition to being first in the line of gubernatorial succession, the lieutenant governor also serves as presiding officer of the Senate and is Missouri's official advocate for the elderly.

Maxwell, 46, served in the House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993, when he moved to the Senate. He was elected lieutenant governor in 2000.

Kinder and Maxwell worked together closely during this year's legislative session for passage of a nursing home reform bill that was considered one of the year's major bipartisan successes.

According to the latest campaign finance disclosure reports, which cover activity through June 30, Maxwell had more than $206,000 on hand while Kinder had just $11,000 in the bank.

mpowers@semissourian.com

(573) 635-4608