Lt. Gov. Kinder Survives Primary Challenge

Missouri Republican Lt. Governor Peter Kinder took the nomination in a bid for a third term Tuesday in a close primary race with challenger, State Senator Brad Lager.

St. Charles resident Mike Carter came in third.

Kinder appeared briefly at 11:15pm at the Creve Coeur Drury Inn, saying he was "humbled" by the win.

Kinder with 44.2 percent, said both Carter (8.2 percent) and Lager (41.6 percent) called to congratulate, and apparently concede the race. Kinder will face former State Auditor Susan Montee who bested a field of eight contenders for the Democratic nomination.

Montee won with a huge margin of 131,115 votes from a field of eight contenders. She won 44 percent of the vote. The next closest rival, Judy Baker, had 15 percent of the vote. 

Kinder described Montee as a "formidable" candidate.

Kinder said Lager outspent him by more than 2-to-1, with Kinder spending about $1 million on the primary.

Lager's campaign sought to capitalize on Kinder's well-chronicled personal foibles that led him to seek re-election and not pursue a run at Governor Nixon. Kinder's campaign countered with his full-throated opposition to President Obama's health care policy and allegations Lager had profited from "ObamaCare" while opposing it politically.

Creve Coeur Patch Editor Gregg Palermo contributed information for this story.