Lt. Governor Peter Kinder (Photo via DayLife/ AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
— Missouri Republicans are worried.
They’re reacting to allegations by a former exotic dancer that Missouri’s Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, R., has pursued her on multiple occasions since his years in the State Senate more than a decade ago.
Tammy Chapman, a former Penthouse Magazine pet working at the St. Louis bar Verlin’s, made allegations to the Riverfront Times that Kinder visited her often, attempted to court her with brownies, and even allegedly offered to let her stay in his campaign-funded condo.
Publicly, Kinder, who will likely challenge Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon next year, has been mum about the allegations. But privately, sources close to Kinder deny the allegations as simply false.
If the allegations are true, Kinder, a single, never married, 57 year old probably did not do anything illegal, but the story will likely raise eyebrows among conservative, heavily religious voters in the state.
“This is bad,” said one Missouri Republican operative, citing a series of rough news cycles for the potential gubernatorial candidate, from expensive hotel stays, to ill-timed tweets following the Joplin tornado, to public comments referring to “peacetime” spending while the nation is involved in at least two wars.
Renee Hulshof, a Columbia, Mo., radio host and wife of 2008 Republican gubernatorial nominee Kenny Hulshof, said on Twitter, “I would like to know from my fellow Mo repubs what we are doing about a gubernatorial candidate.”
Another operative emailed, “[Nixon] was in a good position last week. He’s in a position to trounce Kinder now.”
Politico’s Dave Catanese, a former Missouri political reporter, said the 2012 Governor’s race is becoming a “laughing-stock.”
“It’s really troubling, unseemly, and makes him look un-gubernatorial and I would be surprised if you didn’t see some party leaders really start to think seriously if they want him on the top of the ticket,” Catanese told KMOX.
Financially, any challenger to Nixon will have an uphill climb. Nixon has more than $3 million on hand for 2012, and Kinder, supported by most of the Republican establishment, has half that.
For now, Kinder is still expected to launch his campaign after Labor Day.
email: eli [at] politicmo.com | phone: 417.597.3873 | twitter: @eyokley 
Tammy’s job back in the 90s was to drive men mad with desire. Maybe she succeeded particularly well with Kinder. Honestly, Kinder should never have set foot in her strip joint. But once there, no matter his religion or political philosophy, it is not surprising he fell under her spell. I really hate that she is trashing him at this point.
It’s odd how the Pet distanced herself from him for years, yet approached him to ask if he remembered her, took a few pics with him, shared her personal details with him about needing a place to live, then shook him off her tail by playing the lesbian card.
Stinky.
The religious right will not give one hoot about the story because nobody is going to fault a single man for hitting on a woman. The burden will be on her, to explain why she’s 40 years old and still exploiting her “sex appeal” with men, to get by–as a lesbian.