State Rep. Chris Carter accompanied Sara Lampe to her first interview at The St. Louis American because she was there for him when he needed grounding, and he wanted to see her campaign for Lieutenant Governor get off on the right foot in St. Louis.
“When I came into the Legislature, no one took the time to show me around, but she did,” Carter said, grasping Lampe by the shoulder. “She came to me. She is on the ground with us.”
State Rep. Steve Webb, who chairs the Legislature’s Black Caucus, also accompanied Lampe to the meeting.
“The most pressing issue to me is genuineness,” Webb said. “Sara is genuine. We need to turn the tide if we are ever going to elect a Governor who genuinely stands up for black folks and represents everyone.”
Lampe, a term-limited Democratic state representative from downstate, is running for Lieutenant Governor, not Governor. But progressive legislators see a long line for the Governor’s Office forming behind Jay Nixon, starting with Attorney General Chris Koster and State Treasurer Clint Zweifel. None of these Democrats have enthusiastic African-American support, and Lampe’s most visible opponent for Lieutenant Governor – Susan Montee, the former State Auditor – is perceived as willing to get in line behind Koster and Zweifel. These Democrats said electing Lampe would provide a ray of hope for a statewide Democrat who is more responsive to progressive legislators.
Lampe, from the conservativeSpringfieldarea, has been able to raise money and garner votes from Republicans as well. She and her advocates think her hardest fight will be in the Democratic primary, which already has four announced candidates. Montee, who has held statewide office and most recently chaired the state party, is expected to outraise the rest of the field.
“They are going to have more money,” Webb said. “But can they galvanize the community? Can they galvanize the black community?”
Montee announced her candidacy inSt. LouisCity Hall, hosted by Mayor Francis G. Slay.St. Louishas four black citywide officials who work in the same building, and none of them joined her when she announced her campaign. The event was almost a total no-show for the black political community in the eastern half of the state.
“It would be easier for us to be with Susan and to sit back and watch how things play out,” Webb said. “But she has never taken the time to engage the African-American community. Not when she was in office, not when she ran the party, not in her campaigns. We had no role in any of that.”
Webb also thinks mainstream Democrats are short-sighted if they think Montee can win a general election.
“She can’t win,” Webb said. “She didn’t win against Schweich for State Auditor, and Schweich was weak. He was an unknown, and she lost to him. It’s time we start making our own decisions whether someone can win or not.”
Beyond the politics, Lampe’s advocates speak up for her policy stands.
“When I was serving on the Budget Committee, she stood up with me to save money for programs in the city ofSt. Louis,” Carter said. “Some of my ownSt. Louiscity reps didn’t even stand up with me. She supported me in fighting for money for social programs and to fund the Office of Minority Health. And you don’t see many rural or non-urban Democrats who stand with us.”
State Rep. Rory Ellinger, a progressive white man fromUniversity City, said Lampe also has the right skills for the job even if Lieutenant Governor is not a stepping stone for her.
“It’s the kind of office where you like to see someone with executive ability, and Sara has been a principal, she has effectively run schools,” Ellinger said. “She knows how to delegate and make best use of other people – all sorts of other people, in an inclusive way.”
