Tilley’s Withdrawal Benefits Davis Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2011

O’Fallon, MO – November 10, 2011 – The decision by House Speaker Steve Tilley to drop out of the race for Lieutenant Governor leaves former State Representative Cynthia Davis as the conservative favorite for that office.  Tilley’s unexpected departure was attributed by his campaign to his divorce, but Davis, who has been making appearances at conservative events throughout the State was mounting a serious challenge to Tilley from the right, criticizing his position on cloning and handling of the failed Special Session of the Missouri General Assembly.  A former long-time Republican, Davis had been organizing a third-party challenge to Tilley for November 2012.

Davis issued this statement about the decision by Tilley, “As the Executive Director for The Center for Marriage Policy, I applaud Steve Tilley’s decision to spend his time with his family and hope that there can be reconciliation.  As I have been traveling the state and gaining inroad, I can say first hand that the voters are longing for a candidate that reflects our conservative values—the values that made Missouri and this Nation great.  They recognize the difference between true conservatives of principle and those Republicans who put on a conservative suit at election time and take it off when they get to Washington or Jefferson City.  I look forward to continuing our campaign for Lieutenant Governor and promoting a pro-family, fiscally conservative, Constitutional agenda to give Missourians hope for our future.”

The Davis campaign would likely benefit should the current Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder decide to drop his race for Governor and run for re-election instead.  Kinder has been under intense pressure from conservatives in the state to abandon the race for Governor after allegations surfaced concerning his visits to an Illinois strip club and relationship with one of the employees.