Political observers say Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder’s political future could be in jeopardy, if reports alleging his pursuit of a former stripper and nude model are true.
The St. Louis Riverfront Times published an interview with Tammy Chapman, who worked as a stripper in the St. Louis area in the 90’s and claimed that the then-State Senator was “one of her best customers.”
She also claims that Kinder recently ran into her at a St. Louis bar that features “pants-less parties,” and that he suggested that she move into his Brentwood condo, which she says she declined.
Dave Robertson, a Political Science professor at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, says overcoming these allegations won’t be easy.
“(Kinder will) have to apologize for anything (he may have done)," Robertson said. "He will have to try to put it behind him and try to get a different agenda in front of people…it’s gonna be really difficult because he’s gonna be asked questions about this for quite a while."
Kinder has been the presumed Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Jay Nixon in next year’s governor’s race.
“It’s a really bad moment when you become the butt of jokes," Robertson said. "It’s hard for them to recover from it, and we’re in the process of seeing that happen to Peter Kinder right now…it’s gonna be a real uphill climb for him to get out of this.”
No one from Kinder’s campaign office or from the Missouri Republican Party has responded to the allegations.
