July 1, 2000. His mother, who died on January 4, 2008, sang duets with the mother of Rush Limbaugh for 50 years; Rush Limbaugh attended the funeral. Political career In 1992, Kinder made his first bid for public office, winning election to a seat in the Missouri State Senate representing Cape Girardeau and surrounding counties by defeating former Missouri First Lady and gubernatorial candidate Betty C. Hearnes (D). Kinder was reelected to the State Senate in 1996 and 2000. When the Republicans gained a majority in the Missouri Senate for the first time in over 50 years, following a round of special elections in February 2001, Kinder was voted president pro tempore, the top official in the Missouri Senate. Kinder was the first Republican president pro tempore in the Missouri Senate in 53 years. In 2004 he sought and won election as lieutenant governor, narrowly defeating Bekki Cook (D-Cape Girardeau). Tour of Missouri As a member of the Missouri Tourism Commission, Kinder helped establish the Tour of Missouri, an international professional bicycle race, and served as its chairman. The week-long (6 days in 2007), 600+ mile event first took place in 2007, with Kinder as its chairman. The race was extended to seven days for 2008 and 2009. The race ran annually from 2007 to 2009 and was the third highest profile domestic race in the United States. The Tour of Missouri was one of the top stage races outside of Europe and brought in athletes from over 20 countries. During its three-year run, the race attracted an estimated 1.2 million spectators and created a direct economic impact of $80 million. The Tour of Missouri was cancelled from 2010 by the Missouri Tourism Commission. Funding for the tour was described as a power struggle between Kinder and Governor Nixon. Healthcare policy Kinder was reelected in November 2008. He led a lawsuit by Missouri citizens against the federal healthcare law. Kinder's lawsuit sought to have the individual mandate declared unconstitutional. On August 4, 2010, Missouri voters passed Proposition C, rejecting the federal law's mandate to purchase health insurance, by 71%. Alleged relationship with exotic dancer In August 2011, The Riverfront Times published an article where Tammy Chapman, a former exotic dancer, and 1992 Penthouse Pet, claimed she met Kinder at a political event at a gentleman's club around 1994. The two did not speak again until a chance encounter 18 years