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(AP) -- A freshman Republican in the Missouri House is calling on Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder to forgo his expected bid for governor because of acknowledgements that Kinder repeatedly visited a strip club in the mid-1990s.

Rep. Kevin Elmer, of Nixa, distributed a public statement Tuesday saying Kinder's "irresponsible decisions in his personal life have impugned his ability to lead publicly from a principled position."

Kinder, a Republican, acknowledged last week that he visited an Illinois strip club about 10 times, when he was a state senator 17 years ago. Kinder said he now considers that a poor decision.

Kinder's campaign said Tuesday that Kinder "continues to enjoy strong support from across the state" and plans to focus his campaign on creating jobs. Kinder is expected to challenge Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon next year.

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