JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Republicans have their eyes set on two major seats in the 2018 November election: the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Claire McCaskill, and that of State Auditor.
Current State Auditor Nicole Galloway has work cut out for her: it’s her first race for the position, having been appointed to the role by then-Gov. Jay Nixon and she is the only Democrat holding a statewide office in Missouri, following a clean Republican sweep back in 2016.
Now, she faces a field of Republicans looking to challenge her: Rep. Paul Curtman of Pacific; David Wasinger, a lawyer and accountant from St. Louis County; Kevin M. Roach, an accountant from Chesterfield; and Saundra McDowell, a lawyer from Jefferson City.
The four Republicans will face off in the August primary to secure the Republican nomination, but right now, it seems that Wasinger seems to be picking up some steam.
The St. Louis County lawyer says he is the “only Republican candidate for State Auditor who is a Certified Public Accountant with an accounting background and proven record of uncovering taxpayer fraud.”
Wasinger is a former member of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, with a law degree from Vanderbilt. He made a name for himself when he took on two of the biggest legal cases to emerge from the 2007-2009 financial crisis, against Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Since announcing his campaign, Wasinger has raised a whopping $745,000 for his campaign, literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in front of the other Republican candidates and trailing Galloway’s current $1 million plus in the bank.
|
Candidate |
Party |
Money on Hand |
Total Expenditures This Period |
Total Indebtedness This Cycle |
|
Nicole Galloway |
D |
$1,002,388.06 |
$65,951.98 |
$0.00 |
|
David Wasinger |
R |
$745,656.60 |
$57,058.65 |
$500,000.00 |
|
PAUL CURTMAN |
R |
$41,889.13 |
$10,834.68 |
$0.00 |
|
Saundra McDowell |
R |
$2,394.02 |
$26,172.20 |
$17,734.74 |
|
Kevin Roach |
R |
$5,036.81 |
$8,691.46 |
$9,135.00 |
$500,000 of Wasinger’s campaign funds came as contributions from himself.
But it’s more than just money; in the past week, Wasinger has picked up two endorsements from two Missouri lawmakers.
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, the only Missourian to ever serve as Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tem, announced his endorsement for Republican David Wasinger in the 2018 auditor’s race on April 17.
“I am proud to support David Wasinger’s campaign for auditor,” Richard said. “The people of Missouri are hungry for an auditor who will increase transparency, stop waste, and restore their trust in government. I know we can count on David to do just that in Jefferson City.”
Wasinger has also added another senator’s endorsement, that of Sen. Bob Onder.
“David will be a great auditor for Missouri,” said Onder. “I have known David for over 20 years, and he will use his successful experience to give back to our great state. David’s skills and experience, as both a CPA and attorney, will be a great asset in cleaning up corruption and protecting Missouri taxpayers.”
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
