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Kinder continues 'listening tour' but will announce soon

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 3, 2011 - Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder is continuing to lay the groundwork for an expected announcement later this month that he will follow through with plans to run for governor in 2012, challenging Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

But sources close to Kinder's campaign say his announcement is likely at least a week or two away.

Kinder, a Republican, has been quietly traveling the state to meet privately with small groups of GOP loyalists to test his support in the wake of various scandals, most recently one involving an old acquaintance with a stripper.

He is traveling this week to northeast Missouri, including Macon and Hannibal. Last week, he held meetings in St. Louis and St. Charles counties.

The meetings are an outgrowth of a controversy in August over disclosures of an acquaintance he had with a former stripper and Penthouse Pet, in the early 1990s. An uproar arose over a recent picture of Kinder with the woman while she was working as a bartender at a now-shuttled bar that advertised ''pantless nights'' for its staff.

Earlier this year, Kinder ran into criticism over his frequent hotel stays around the state, at taxpayer expense, and the theft and torching of his campaign vehicle after he left the keys in it.

Kinder has denied any improprieties but has faced some pressure from some party loyalists to drop his campaign. The problem for the state GOP is that no other well-known Republicans are apparently willing to compete against Nixon, a Democrat who already has amassed a large campaign bank account.

Kinder initially said he planned to declare his bid soon after Labor Day, but that plan was dropped during the dust-up over the stripper.

He had told the Beacon about a month ago that he was waiting until November to announce, in part because of a "wicked infection'' and other medical issues that needed to be dealt with. He has yet to undergo minor foot surgery, a campaign source said, but expects to do so before his announcement.

Sources say Kinder also has talked to potential rivals, including businessman David Spence, who has told Politico that he was prepared to run for governor if Kinder did not.

Meanwhile, in preparation for his announcement, Kinder and his staff have stepped up criticisms of Nixon -- notably, on Twitter.

Jo Mannies is a freelance journalist and former political reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.