Statewide Tipsheet: August 2025

By Jake Kroesen on September 11, 2025

Statewide Bench: Republicans
#1 State Senator Jason Bean
Cash on Hand: $94,348.25
Conservative Leadership for Southeast Missouri
Cash on Hand: $117,947.07
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $212,295.32
Senator Bean is following the Kehoe model of how to win a statewide primary. He has all of the ag credentials, looks like he was sent from central casting to be a Governor, and is now raising money that he could use statewide.
He is developing a reputation of being the senator the majority wants in the chair for contentious issues like the ones they will PQ this week. Building on his performance at end of session has also put him in the lead of the Pro Tem race which will vault his name ID and fundraising.

#2 State Senator Tony Luetkemeyer
Cash on Hand: $1,227,335.11
Tony PAC
Cash on Hand: $515,700.47
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $1,743,035.58
There really isn’t a part of politics that Senator Luetkemeyer isn’t good at. He has won a tough primary and general, he is one of the best fundraisers in the party, and had a very good year as Majority Floor Leader.
He has been at the top of these lists for a long time; the only remaining question will be whether he finds the right fit to launch a statewide campaign.

#3 State Senator David Gregory
Cash on Hand: $1,296.38
Show Me Growth PAC
Cash on Hand: $3,051.80
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $4,348.18
Senator David Gregory is a winner. He won a swing house district, and now he won the most competitive state senate race in the state last fall. In every race he has been a tremendous fundraiser, and has the look of a young aggressive prosecutor.
Senator Gregory is using his time in the Senate to brandish his law enforcement credentials as he picks up some of former Attorney General Bailey’s initiatives. It appears he is staking out his intentions early for a 2032 AG run.

#4 House Majority Floor Leader Alex Riley
Cash on Hand: $285,475.89
Missouri Leadership PAC
Cash on Hand: $333,578.33
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $619,054.22
The next Speaker of the House will be discussed heavily as someone to run for higher office. He will amass several big wins, likely among them school choice, and if he works, he will leave office with a large warchest with a large network of former colleagues around the state he can call on.
Don’t sleep on Riley, he is the first speaker of the term-limits era to be able to navigate around having to run a leadership race, ever. That takes the type of talent needed to seek statewide office.

#5 Director of USDA Rural Development in Missouri Ben Baker
Cash on Hand: n/a
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: n/a
Former Rep. Ben Baker was a name for these sorts of lists for a while. He was a very good legislator who knew how to stay on message for the republican base. He could also fundraise and was building up a national network of connections that he could call on.
However, taking the job as President Trump’s USDA director is an incredible opportunity that vaults him up the list. First of all he will be able to forever say he was picked by the President to join his administration, and in a job where he is vital to every rural community in the state.
No one leaves a job with a wider network of connections than the person running the USDA for the state. If he wants to jump back into politics, he can reenter at a very high level.

#6 State Senator Brad Hudson
Cash on Hand: $111,537.27
Brad PAC
Cash on Hand: $56,440.69
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $167,977.96
Senator Hudson has significantly upped his stock every month he has been in the Senate. He won a bruising primary where he was outspent and entered the Senate with some folks questioning what path he would chart.
He chose to be effective, and has been. Senator Hudson has become a senator that every group has on their list to talk to about their issues, and is a go to for people needing serious legislation carried. Not to mention he has a top flight chief of staff, making things easier.

#7 House Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins
Cash on Hand: $26,377.25
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $26,377.25
The Speaker Pro Tem is clearly the most popular man in Jefferson City not named Kehoe. He has the ability and more importantly the relationships to impact any piece of legislation in the General Assembly. He may opt for a state senate bid, but if he chose the statewide route he would have hundreds of folks around the state that would answer the call.

#8 State Senator Rick Brattin
Cash on Hand: $854.47
True Patriot PAC
Cash on Hand: $19,487.40
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $20,341.87
Senator Brattin almost has a tale of two terms. His first term he was a bomb thrower, but towards the end he delivered a landfill solution that was vitally important to his district and that led him to a big win in a three way primary last summer.
He returned to the Senate with a different purpose, and now is at the crux of nearly every piece of legislation. Senator Brattin’s record of on the second amendment with SAPA builds his grassroots following, but being the Chairman of the Education Committee when school choice is passed will be a capstone achievement and the type of momentum he could turn into a statewide run. Being a veteran who passes SAPA, with a MRL endorsement, carrying a school choice bill is a hell of a resume.

#9 State Representative Bishop Davidson
Cash on Hand: $98,559.62
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $98,559.62
Rep. Davidson is one of the most talented people in all of Missouri politics, and knows how to navigate winning a competitive primary, is one of the best fundraisers in his caucus, and just finished his first term as Vice-Chair, of the House Budget Committee.
He would be a top-tier candidate for any statewide seat after writing a couple budgets, and reaping the fundraising benefits of that work.

#10 State Representative Dane Diehl
Cash on Hand: $34,198.89
Rural Roots PAC
Cash on Hand: $38,702.54
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $72,901.43
Is there anyone who doesn’t like Dane Diehl? He is a solid fundraiser, who is the type of legislator people seek out to handle tough legislation. Not to mention becoming the go to representative on ag issues.
If he ran statewide, all of his colleagues would have signs in front of their houses for him.

Others: Speaker Jon Patterson and Rep. Melanie Stinnett would both be on this list but are running for state senate, Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman has announced she is not running for office in 2024, but would be back on this list if she chose to reenter politics, State Senators Nick Schroer and Curtis Trent are both running for re-election, State Senator Kurtis Gregory is being recruited to run for congress, and State Representative Dirk Deaton would also be on this list but it rumored to be a challenger for a possible primary in SD 32.

Statewide Bench: Democrats
#1 Senator Stephen Webber
Cash on Hand: $419,740.85
Homefront PAC
Cash on Hand: $15,560.71
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $435,301.56
Senator Webber is quickly emerging as a rising star in the Missouri Democratic Party. As one of the few senators to deliver a win for his district during the first special session of 2025, he is positioning himself as a strong contender for a future statewide office.

#2 Senator Tracy McCreery
Cash on Hand: $131,499.66
Serve Missouri
Cash on Hand: $63,361.00
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $194,860.66
Senator McCreery represents the model of a Democratic candidate built to compete in tough general elections. With strengths across every facet of modern campaigning, she has carved out rare success during Missouri’s shift to a reliably red state, positioning herself as a beacon for potential Democratic gains ahead.

#3 State Senator Maggie Nurrenbern
Cash on Hand: $13,407.63
Northland Forward
Cash on Hand: $56,194.13
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $69,601.76
Speaking of Democrat wins in tough districts, Senator Nurrenbern has that same ability to win a competitive district, and she has the same seven year runway that Senator Webber has. She is a good fundraiser, and is perhaps the best in the party at organizing. If I were betting on someone to be the next Democrat to win a statewide election it would likely be her.

#4 House Minority Leader Ashley Aune
Cash on Hand: $37,470.70
AshPAC
Cash on Hand: $28,082.00
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $65,552.70
Following in the tradition of strong House Minority Leaders, Representative Aune has kept Democrats relevant during a challenging period. Her communication skills and distinctive style have made her a key voice for the party in both special sessions. Despite a rocky stretch, she finished with reaffirmed support from her caucus, keeping her name in the mix for a future statewide race.

#5 Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck
Cash on Hand: $155,582.76
DougPac
Cash on Hand: $26,297.78
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $181,880.54
At a time when the union vote has become a battleground between Democrats and Republicans, Senator Beck has shown that Democrats can still be the party of labor in deep-red Missouri. With Democrats eyeing future congressional or statewide opportunities, he stands out as a strong potential contender.

#6 Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas
Cash on Hand: $583,450.66
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $583,450.66
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has overseen major development projects and secured high-profile events that keep the city in the national spotlight, from the stadium deal that could positively alter KC’s sports landscape to hosting next year’s World Cup. With the Fifth Congressional District on track for redistricting, Lucas could emerge as a strong Democratic contender for higher office.

#7 State Senator Steve Roberts
Cash on Hand: $75,424.08
STL Democratic Coalition
Cash on Hand: $60,893.08
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $136,317.16
The Senator from the City of St. Louis has a decorated record of military service, and has shown he can win a tough primary and can raise money. He will be term-limited in ‘28 and with a newly elected mayor in St. Louis he might entertain taking his talents statewide.

#8 St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer
Cash on Hand: $50,527.69
A Brighter Future for St Louis
Cash on Hand: $39,016.74
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $89,544.43
Speaking of that new mayor, Cara Spencer has impressed many during the first few weeks of her tenure. She has earned praise for her handling of the tornado, and left a special session with $100 million dollars for any needs that FEMA doesn’t meet. She has a hot hand now, and has shown an ability to operate at a higher level of politics. The future will be interesting for the new mayor.

#9 Former Columbia Mayor Brian Treece
The former Columbia mayor has one of the strongest records of success of anyone in the Democratic party from his time as mayor. He also has a long list of union connections that would come in handy. Moreover when you think of a Nixon or a Koster you can see Treece in that same vein.

#10 State Representative Jaclyn Zimmermann
Cash on Hand: $2,490.93
TOTAL CASH ON HAND: $2,490.93
If you are a democrat looking for a sign of hope or a future star to pin your hopes on Rep. Zimmerman is a house freshman to keep an eye on. She took a formerly swing district and won it handily, and is the type of legislator that could be a building block for the future.

Others: State Senator Brian Williams is running to be St. Louis County Executive. State Representatives Betsy Fogle and Keri Ingle are running for State Senate.