Over the weekend, a lot of money moved in Missouri campaigns, including $1 million from David Humphreys and his sister, Sarah Atkins, reported by the gubernatorial campaign of Peter Kinder Monday morning. The Humphreys family has now donated $1.5 million to Kinder, who reported $620,000 on hand on Friday.
Meanwhile, Kinder’s primary opponent, Catherine Hanaway received just over $310,000 from Grow Missouri and an additional $10,000 from an individual donor.
Josh Hawley, Republican candidate for attorney general, received $10,000 from XCaliber – the makers of Edgefield, Echo and Exeter tobacco products. Hawley’s opponent, outgoing Senate Appropriations Chairman Kurt Schaefer, supported a bill last session which XCaliber opposed, saying that some tobacco companies have an unfair market advantage due to not being subject to the Master Settlement Agreement.
Outgoing Attorney General Chris Koster attempted to resolve the settlement dispute, which was contingent on the bill, which had bipartisan opposition and support. The next attorney general is likely to deal with the ongoing debate to close what some call “the tobacco loophole,” which others call an incorrect term.
Speaking of Koster, the Democratic candidate for governor received $500,000 from AFSCME, the public workers’ union, and another $25,000 from the Operating Engineers Local 101 PAC, maintaining a strong showing of union support for his bid for governor. Koster’s Republican opposition has generally supported right-to-work, which Koster and most unions oppose.
This Weekend’s $5,000+ Donations:
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
