Shutdown blocks Kinder from filing committee

The federal government shutdown is blocking Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder from filing his exploratory committee for a possible congressional campaign.

Kinder completed the paperwork, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Thursday he has been unable to file it with the Federal Election Commission. The exploratory committee is for a possible run in the 8th Congressional District that covers Southeast Missouri and currently is held by Republican U.S. Rep. Jason Smith.

Kinder, also a Republican, criticized President Barack Obama, saying it is incredible the president will speak to "just about any enemy of this country, but he will not talk to the elected leaders of a co-equal branch of government."

Formation of an exploratory committee allows Kinder to begin raising money for a possible congressional campaign. Differences between state and federal laws means funds from a state campaign account cannot be transferred to a potential run for a federal office.

Kinder said in an interview with the Southeast Missourian that the inability to file a committee shouldn't grind his exploratory effort to a halt. "Every donation, should I be fortunate enough to get some, will be taken down and deposited in an account we're about to open," Kinder said.

Candidates aren't required to file papers with the Federal Election Commission until they've raised $5,000 in contributions, according to the commission website.

Kinder won a third four-year term as lieutenant governor in 2012 and said he will make a decision in weeks whether to run for Congress.

"The incumbent is a nice guy. He's a friend of mine," Kinder said. "But people on my side of the political divide in America today believe that the hour is very late for the survival of our freedom. We have to put our best team on the field."

Smith's campaign committee, Jason Smith for Congress, raised almost $1,500 in June, according to the most recent quarterly report filed with the commission. The next report, covering the July to September quarter, is due later this month.

Smith's campaign had scheduled a Cape Girardeau fundraiser with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and dozens of local guests, but that event was postponed by the government shutdown.

"Congressman Smith is completely focused on ending the government shutdown," Smith deputy chief of staff Justin Gibbs said in a statement. "This will remain his focus until the shutdown ends."

Smith has represented the 8th Congressional District since replacing Jo Ann Emerson, who resigned from Congress to become the president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Smith earlier this year bested Kinder and others when an 84-person committee of local Republican leaders selected the Republican nominee for a June special election. The congressional office next appears on the 2014 ballot.

Smith, who had been the state House speaker pro tem, said he could not imagine Kinder challenging any Republican incumbent. He said if Kinder leaves the lieutenant governor's office partway through his term, then Gov. Jay Nixon could appoint a fellow Democrat as lieutenant governor.

"Friends just don't run against friends," Smith said.

Managing editor Matt Sanders contributed to this report.