This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 11, 2011 - Missouri Democratic Party chair Susan Montee says she is stepping down Nov. 19 to focus full time on her 2012 bid for lieutenant governor.
Montee is a former state auditor who lost her re-election contest in 2010. She took over as chairman of the state Democratic Party soon after.
Montee confirms that she will be replaced as party chair by Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders, who recently dropped his own possible bid for statewide office.
The new vice chair is expected to be St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green. She will replace Bob Levine of St. Louis County, who is moving into a slot on the Democratic National Committee.
The changes are expected to be made Nov. 19, at the next meeting of the state Democratic committee, made up of party leaders.
Montee said in an interview that the meeting is being moved up from early December, in part to resolve how national delegates will be selected for the 2012 presidential convention.
Montee said she had been in communication regularly with Gov. Jay Nixon and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, ever since she decided in October to run for lieutenant governor.
"The time commitment for being chair is significant,'' she said. "I didn't want to not be able to do everything I needed to do for the party."
Montee, who's from the Kansas City area, said she had approached Sanders about becoming her successor.
Montee acknowledged that the lieutenant governor's race has changed dramatically with Thursday's announcement by House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, that he was dropping out of the race to spend more time with his family. Tilley already had amassed $1.5 million in his campaign bank account and had been seen as a strong contender.
Montee emphasized that she had declared her candidacy when Tilley was still seen as the likely GOP nominee. "It certainly changes the view of the campaign a lot, to have the speaker out of the race, '' she said.
Montee declined to speculate on who now might be her Republican rival. State Sen. Brad Lager, R-Maryville, has said he is strongly considering a bid.
"Regardless of whom my opponent may be, I am confident that I have the experience necessary to be the lieutenant governor Missouri needs," Montee said.
She cited the constitutional roles of the lieutenant governor, which include being an advocate for veterans and the elderly. Montee said that she grew up in the military, since her father was a career officer. "I'm excited to champion some of the causes that are important to me,'' Montee said.
