This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, May 24, 2012 - The Missouri political action committee for the national Club for Growth has done little, campaign-wise, since the 2010 election. But that appears about to change.
Wealthy financier Rex Sinquefield – who shares the group’s low-tax, free-market philosophy – has donated $500,000 to the PAC. That’s a significant jump from the group’s bank balance of $4,140 reported on its last campaign-finance report filed in April.
In 2010, the state Club for Growth PAC primarily donated to state legislative candidates who shared its fiscally conservative views. Sinquefield’s money could help bankroll a number of like-minded candidates this summer and fall.
Sinquefield made his donation late last week, as the Missouri General Assembly was completing its legislative session.
Sinquefield has been by far the most generous political donor in Missouri -- in 2012.
Earlier this year, he donated $2.2 million, most of it to political groups. (The sole candidate exception was Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat, who received $10,000.)
Most of Sinquefield’s money -- $1.224 million – went to the now delayed effort of the group called “Let Voters Decide’’ to get a proposal on the ballot to phase out Missouri’s income tax and phase in a higher sales tax. Because of resistance from some voters and politicians, Sinquefield is deferring the campaign.
He also gave $885,000 to A Safer Missouri, the group seeking local control of St. Louis’ police department. In April, A Safer Missouri submitted more than 164,000 signatures of registered voters to the Missouri secretary of state’s office. They won’t know until August if enough signatures were certified to get the proposal on the November ballot.
Sinquefield’s donation to Club for Growth indicates that he now may be shifting his focus from causes to candidates. But rather than give the money directly to candidates, he appears to be leaning toward those who have been “vetted’’ and endorsed by like-minded groups, like the Club for Growth.
