CLAYTON — Katherine Pinner, the surprise Republican nominee for county executive who said last week she would drop out of the race, has changed her mind.
Pinner contacted Rene Artman, the chair of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Republican Party, on Tuesday and said she’s staying in.
“I need to uphold my commitment to God, to myself, and to the voters,†Pinner said in a text to Artman.
Pinner could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
The news marks the latest turn in a whirlwind month for Pinner and the party she shocked with her double-digit victory in the primary. It’s also a gift for incumbent County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat expected to coast to victory in a blue county — Pinner dropping out could have allowed county Republicans to pick someone else.
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Page’s campaign said it’s not discounting Pinner.
“For the last several years she has been at school board meetings, County Council meetings, on conservative talk shows. She’s got a well-read blog, she’s a published author,†said Page’s campaign spokesman, Richard Callow. â€It is a campaign to take very seriously and we will.â€
Pinner beat Shamed Dogan, a tenured state representative from Ballwin, in the GOP primary. She had no yard signs, no fundraising, no social media presence — just a personal website advertising her books on its homepage. Not even her neighbors knew she was running.
Pinner’s website said she grew up in south ºüÀêÊÓƵ, had Croatian heritage and worked as a consultant for various businesses in addition to writing books. Her platform sounded like that of many Republicans: lower taxes, support law enforcement, get back to the Constitution and the country’s “founding principles.†She also repeated a conspiracy theory about COVID-19 vaccines containing microchips that could be used to control people.
Last week, she filed a handwritten, pro se lawsuit against the American Association of Orthodontists, which she said forced her to resign by requiring her to either wear a mask or get vaccinated for COVID-19. She said such requirements went against her religion, and linked masks to “satanic ritual abuse.â€
Then she went on the radio for an interview with McGraw Milhaven, a host on KTRS (550 AM), where she spent several minutes dodging questions on how she managed to win, calling her strategy her “secret sauce,†and refusing to answer questions about the lawsuit.
When Milhaven pressed her on the lawsuit, she hung up on him.
That same day, Pinner went to her first ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Republican Central Committee meeting as a candidate, where committeemen, with years of experience campaigning and organizing, were similarly confounded by her refusal to share details of her strategy. One committeewoman said it was like they were speaking different languages.
Pinner got a similar reaction at a ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Young Republicans meeting on Thursday.
“We can’t just go on the fact that you have a pretty name,†one woman told Pinner, in a video from Spectrum News, an online news network. “We need to know what’s going on to help you.â€
Shortly after that, Pinner called Artman, the county party chair, and said she was getting out.
Artman told her to think on it. Pinner insisted she was done.
But on Tuesday morning, Pinner published a blog post on her website saying she was staying in, and notified Artman.
When Artman called her, Pinner said she’d been praying on the issue, and decided she owed it to the voters who won her the primary to stay the course.
Republicans said on Tuesday they would support Pinner — though her actions complicate the campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.
“Adding this level of drama is never good on any campaign,†said Republican County Councilman Mark Harder, who’s running for reelection in the 7th District. “We need to get strong candidates that are going to take that responsibility all the way to the polling place.â€
County Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, doesn’t think Pinner’s flip-flopping will change any voters’ minds on supporting her. Republicans will vote for her, and Democrats will vote for Page, Fitch said. With a majority of voters in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County still leaning Democratic, it could come down to independent voters — and simple math.
“A whole lot of people, me included, underestimated her and her ability to win the primary,†Fitch said. “Surprise elections happen from time to time.â€