Who Is Mike Carter?

He's a Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor making waves for an unorthodox Do-Not-Call campaign list and a potentially unconstitutional pledge to cut the salary of the office he's seeking.

But his campaign calls him the Democratic frontrunner for the nomination.

That strikes some political insiders as odd, being that Rep. Sam Page looks to be the Democratic Party's "establishment candidate."

So what gives?

I asked Carter's spokesperson Chad Carter (must be related, right?) why anyone should believe Carter is the frontrunner over Page. "Mike is the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for MO Lt. Gov. based on the amount of his press coverage, web presence, robo-call survey response, ability, and other research," Chad Carter explained.

When I picked up the phone to ask some Democratic party insiders about Carter's candidacy, some of them seemed just as befuddled.

"I don't see how somebody beats Sam Page without access to his kind of money," said one Springfield Democrat. "Nobody I know knows who he is," she added.

Another Dem quipped, "He's somebody looking for a quick, cheap headline."

Today, the Carter campaign announced the establishment of a legal team in response to recent questions about his pledge to donate at least $10,000 of his salary to the state treasury or a charity.

"It is interesting to think that an AP reporter was monitoring the websites of down-ballot campaigns and thought to look into the possibility of obscure laws that have never been applied; however, we have assessed the matter and, while we feel certain no violation has occurred, we would cooperate fully with any regulatory authority suggesting otherwise." said Carter in a statement.