Cape's Peter Kinder elected chairman of state Republican Party

Missouri Republicans elected Cape Girardeau’s Peter Kinder as state party chairman Saturday, Feb. 1.

Kinder, former state senator and state lieutenant governor, won the race over former state senator and gubernatorial candidate Bill Eigel. Sixty-eight Republicans — one man and one woman from each of the state’s 34 Senate districts — make up the state committee, which selects the chairman.

Kinder explained that last year, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who was running to be governor, approached him about the chairmanship. After meeting with Kehoe around Thanksgiving, Kinder was ready to move forward.

“It is not a position I had ever thought I would be seeking. … I agreed to go forward with his support,” he said. “He’s going to be a great governor for eight years.”

The state party chairman — elected to a two-year term — is responsible for planning state events, such as party conventions and Lincoln Day dinners, and guiding fundraising, messaging, voter outreach and candidate support. The chairman, along with two others from the state, represents Missouri at the national level as a member of the Republican National Committee.

“I am excited about ramping up fundraising for the Missouri Republican Party, outreach in our media and social media and website — everything we need to do to reach every corner of Missouri,” Kinder noted. “I want to work with all of our candidates to make certain we elect Republicans statewide, and I want to work with county committees to make sure we have good results in county offices.”

One particular project on Kinder’s radar is to coordinate and facilitate the next state convention.

“I am going to make sure our data storage and technical things are improved,” he pledged.

Kinder replaced chairman Nick Myers.