This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 3, 2010 - Aside from beefing up the Republican presence in the Missouri Legislature, Tuesday's election results also shift the political focus to the most powerful Republican in Jefferson City -- Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.
Kinder is on most short lists as the GOP's choice to challenge Gov. Jay Nixon in 2012.
"It's Peter's, if he wants it," said Republican consultant Paul Zemitzsch.
Kinder said in an interview this afternoon that he's thinking about it.
"I'm not announcing anything today," the lieutenant governor said. First he has to discuss his political future with supporters around the state. Kinder noted that he participated in more than 45 campaign events this season on behalf of GOP candidates, on all levels.
"There's time this winter to really sift through all the issues," Kinder said.
One of those issues may include the continued tensions between Nixon and Kinder.
"He doesn't want my help. That's our relationship. There is no relationship," Kinder said. "When he turns up in Afghanistan or Iraq, I learn about it from the media."
While emphasizing that "I'm not complaining," Kinder said that he and Nixon have had only two "substantive conversations" since Nixon took office in January 2009.
One of those discussions was around the time of the inaugural, when Kinder said he offered to work with Nixon on economic issues. The second was earlier this year, when Kinder sought to preserve the Tour of Missouri bicycle race after Nixon and the state Tourism Commission made clear that the state subsidy was being eliminated.
Kinder quoted a Latin phrase that means, "The thing speaks for itself."
Kinder's GOP Leadership role>
What also speaks for itself is Tuesday's election results, which saw Missouri Democrats taking heavy losses across the board.
Kinder had been a big campaign donor ($200,000) to GOP state auditor victor Tom Schweich, who defeated Democratic incumbent Susan Montee. A history buff, Kinder said that Montee is Missouri's first elected statewide officeholder to lose in almost 50 years. (Kinder excluded Republican John Ashcroft, who had been turned out as state auditor in 1974, noting that Ashcroft had initially been appointed to the job in 1973.)
"Something really big was happening in Missouri and across the country,'' Kinder said. The new Republican majorities in the state House (106-57) and state Senate (26-8) are "numbers that I never thought I'd see in my lifetime," he added.
Such margins "puts Republicans in the Legislature solidly in control," Kinder said.
When state Rep. Steve Tilley, R-Perryville and the likely next House speaker, told Kinder late Tuesday that Republicans had gained 17 House seats, "I about dropped the phone," Kinder said.
He noted that the only two rural Democrats in the state Senate -- Frank Barnitz of Lake Spring and Wes Shoemyer of rural Monroe County -- both lost. A number of suburban Democratic legislators also were turned out, or their open seats recaptured by the GOP.
Kinder was particularly buoyed by the strong Republican performance in Jefferson County, swing territory that had been largely governed by Democrats. Republicans claimed the new county executive post and knocked off two incumbent Democrats in the state House: Michael Frame and Jeff Roorda.
Jefferson County also strongly favored Republican Roy Blunt in his U.S. Senate bid against Democrat Robin Carnahan and gave Republican Ed Martin a 13,000-vote edge in his overall unsuccessful quest to knock off U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis.
Martin, a Tea Party favorite, is currently behind by 4,400 votes, and has raised questions about possible irregularities in St. Louis. Martin formerly had been chairman of the city's Election Board.
Kinder, reflecting his role as party powerbroker, isn't going along with Martin's call. While praising Martin's performance, Kinder said, "Ed Martin clearly did not get it done in St. Louis County, and we're clearly taking note of that."
Kinder went even further in an appearance with radio talk show host (and Tea Party activist) Dana Loesch, saying on the air that he had talked with city GOP elections director Scott Leiendecker, and that it was clear that Martin had lost fair and square.
Looking ahead to January
Instead, Kinder is turning his attention to the state Legislature's next session, which he says will be consumed by "the budget, the budget and the budget," and "trying to get Missouri's economy going."
Kinder noted that the state's income is currently 20 percent below what its revenue in 2008, and said he was concerned by experts' predictions that it could be 2014 or 2015 before the state's income reaches that 2008 level.
Since he and the governor don't speak, Kinder wasn't aware that the latest October revenue numbers also came out today -- showing the state's income up by 7.8 percent over that of October 2009, a strong sign of economic improvement.
When asked for the governor's reaction to Tuesday's election results, and how he plans to approach the larger Republican majorities in the Legislature, Nixon spokesman Sam Murphy issued the following statement:
"From day one, Gov. Nixon's top priority has been to create jobs and get our economy moving. Over the past two years, the governor has worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle to create jobs, balance the budget, and make state government smarter and more effective. Now that the campaigns are over, Gov. Nixon looks forward to working with all the newly elected and returning legislators in both the House and the Senate when they reconvene next year."
