It was a blistering July morning when Terri Violet knocked on my door. Though there have been many canvassers out and about for the Republican primary, Violet is the only candidate who found it worth her time to talk to me personally.
We discussed the importance of sticking to our local values and her unwavering support for law enforcement officers and veterans, since she herself served in the U.S. Navy. I was impressed by her candid responses to my questions and was amazed when she told me she’d already knocked over 6,000 doors herself! I was happy to take her pamphlet to do some more research.
Recently, I’ve learned she has a primary opponent, and door knockers I’ve never seen before (and who are paid by a PAC, apparently) are trying to convince us that he, Jeremy Lloyd, is a better choice.
I’ve never met Jeremy, and I don’t know anything about him beyond his yard signs. He’s never come to my door. He’s never been to any community events I’ve attended. I’ve never even received any materials created directly by his campaign committee—just stuff from that same PAC that seems to be doing all his campaigning for him.
Where is Jeremy Lloyd? And who are these people campaigning on his behalf?
I kept looking for answers and discovered that the group—Make Liberty Win—is an out-of-state influence group from Virginia dropping off strangers to roam around our neighborhoods. But there’s more: they also have a record of campaign ethics violations. In 2019, the group’s parent organization was fined by the Missouri Ethics Commission for spreading campaign materials across Missouri without proper disclosures and failing to file required financial information.
When I tried to look them up on the MEC’s website, it showed that they just registered in late July after the mandatory quarterly financial reports were due by all candidate committees and PACs. So, I assume that means they are once again using dark money to try to prop-up a candidate without having to reveal their financial records. I guess we don’t get to know where Jeremy Lloyd’s out-of-state friends get all their funds.
Comparing all this with Terri Violet’s transparent campaign and her exclusive endorsement from the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police is enough for me to make up my mind. I will be voting for Terri Violet because she’s clearly the trusted conservative who takes the high road and isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves to do the hard work. Plus, it is comforting to know that she isn’t being backed by these notorious outsiders meddling in our local elections. I’m not sure what their game is, but I am refusing to play.
I’m no paid campaigner; I’m just a concerned citizen who wants to keep politics civil and honest in our community. I hope others in St. Charles County will join me in voting for Terri Violet on August 6th to reward positive campaigning over deceptive tactics.
Clinton Hankins resides in St. Charles County and is a constituent of Missouri House District 104.
