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Finance watch: Democrat freshmen triumph first quarter in contributions (with graphic)

*This is part one of a four-part campaign finance series looking at numbers raised during the first quarter. The information was sent out to premium subscribers last month. 

Finance Watch - Freshmen
Top 15 freshmen numbers for the first quarter (Click to enlarge the graphic)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — With the first quarter filing deadline for campaign contributions and cash on hand complete, a surprisingly strong fundraising quarter for the freshmen Democrats is welcome news for the state party.

Freshmen Democrats outraised their Republican counterparts by more than $4,000. Their top earner, John Wright, D-Columbia, raised more than $7,000 during the last quarter, trumping the No. 2 spot, Holly Rehder, who brought in $4,600.

Democrats are touting the strong quarter as a clear rebuke of Republican majority policies during the session.

Michael Kelly, former executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party and current political operative, said the numbers showed a “clear indication of what the people of Missouri think of Republican politics.”

“Republicans arrived with a historic majority and instead of dealing with economic development legislation or passing a roads bill, they passed 13 or 14 gun bills,” Kelly said. “Everybody in this state knows the Second Amendment is important, but I think the citizens of Missouri want their lawmakers to focus on bringing down unemployment, improving our infrastructure and making the schools better.”

But while Kelly and other Democrats are using the numbers as predictors of a rebuke at the ballot box, Republicans are less concerned.

John Hancock, President and CEO of the Strategy Group for Research, a Republican media firm, said it is “folly” to view freshmen member fundraising through a “macro lens.”

“I’d look to the money raised by the Speaker and the House Republican Campaign Committee juxtaposed against their Democratic counterparts if you’re really looking for a good gauge of strength and weakness,” Hancock told The Missouri Times. “To try to read a larger message into freshmen fundraising is just not going to be that helpful, though.”

Both men indicated that the closest districts would have the most telling fundraising numbers. Whether Wright’s strong showing in a district his party won by less than 1 percent in the previous cycle is a predictor of his next race is yet to be seen.

To contact Collin Reischman, email collin@themissouritimes.com, or via Twitter at @Collin_MOTimes.