When Mike Kehoe approached Peter Kinder about being the chairman of the Missouri Republican Party last year, the former GOP statewide official thought the future governor was sending him into proverbial purgatory.
“I said, Mike, is that something a friend would ask of another friend?” Kinder said during an episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.
Ultimately, Missouri’s former lieutenant governor and former Senate president pro tem decided to take on the sometimes thankless job. Members of the Missouri Republican Party state committee narrowly picked Kinder over former state Sen. Bill Eigel earlier this month, meaning he’ll lead a party that’s arguably at the pinnacle of its political power.
“I agreed to go forward because [Kehoe] felt that I could help unite the party that … was rather divided in the primary that he won in August, and has been divided, especially in the state Senate, for several years,” Kinder said. “And we're hopeful that we will be able to stitch it back together and get some unity so that we can go forward for the common causes.”
Republicans currently hold all of Missouri’s statewide offices and commanding majorities in the General Assembly. That wasn’t the case when Kinder started his time in politics, as Democrats were in firm control of the General Assembly and Republicans struggled at times to prevail in gubernatorial or U.S. Senate contests.
But the party dealt with increasingly bitter factionalism. Eigel, for instance, was a key member of the Freedom Caucus that often clashed with GOP leaders in the Missouri Senate. And this past election cycle featured primaries in which candidates accused each other of not adhering to GOP principles enough.
Kinder said it is possible to smooth over past hard feelings, pointing to how the Missouri Senate appears to be functioning better this session than in years past.
“Hope springs eternal, and I think we can all pull together,” Kinder said. “I'm not one for name calling or bitter accusations against my fellow Republicans, nor for purity tests that some people are advocating. I think we need to recognize that we're all on the same team, pulling in the same direction toward the common goals.”
Outreach in the St. Louis region
One of Kinder’s major goals is expanding his party’s popularity in St. Louis and St. Louis County.
While Democrats have long dominated politics in St. Louis, GOP fortunes in St. Louis County took a nosedive in recent years. Democratic presidential candidates are regularly eclipsing 60% of the vote there.
Pointing to his own overperformance in 2008 and 2012 in both St. Louis and St. Louis County, Kinder said it is possible to make headway on historically Democratic turf. He said the party will help Andrew Jones, one of the four candidates running for St. Louis mayor, who previously ran as a Republican. City elections are now nonpartisan.
“We are going to be supporting him to the extent our resources and personal time allows,” Kinder said.
He also said that Republicans may be able to win over voters in St. Louis and St. Louis County who have been disappointed with how Democratic elected officials have handled public safety and educational issues.
“How is it going for you to vote for one party for 70-plus straight years?” Kinder said. “And we think we can make an argument that we have some solutions, that we can do better, and that it isn't just the crime in the city — it’s also the city school system that needs attention.”
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
