St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger is continuing his pace as one of Missouri’s top money-raisers among the non-congressional candidates, but Democratic rival Mark Mantovani appears to be edging up fast.
Stenger’s latest campaign-finance report, filed Tuesday, shows that he raised almost $520,000 during the past three months for his re-election bid later this year.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, raised more money during that same period. Greitens collected close to $630,000 and reported almost $2.8 million in his state campaign committee.
That tally does not include any money Greitens helped raise for his allied nonprofit, called A New Missouri, which does not have to report its finances.
A Democrat, Stenger now has more than $2.4 million in the bank.
Mark Mantovani, a fellow Democrat challenging Stenger in the August primary, filed a report showing that he’d raised close to $400,000 since Oct. 1 and now has close to $1 million in the bank. That tally does include $250,000 that Mantovani gave his campaign earlier this month.
Mantovani, who has never held office before, is among several potential contenders for St. Louis County’s top job. Filing begins Feb. 27.
McCaskill may have set record
Missouri’s congressional candidates don’t have to file reports until Jan. 31. But U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill provided St. Louis Public Radio an early copy of her official summary sheets for her federal report.
The report shows that McCaskill raised about $2.9 million during the last quarter of 2017, which appears to be more than any other U.S. senator up for re-election. She now has $9.1 million in the bank for a contest that’s expected to among the most combative in the country.
Overall, McCaskill already has raised just over $14 million, and spent close to $5 million. But the key aim for candidates at this point is to bank as much money as possible for the ad campaigns needed during the final months before the November election.
Her best-known GOP rival, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, has yet to file his federal report and his campaign declined to provide an early copy of his report’s summary sheets.
State filings show impact of donation limits
Hawley has filed his state campaign-finance report, which shows that his focus has shifted to the U.S. Senate. Hawley raised just over $42,000 for his state committee, and still has just over $1 million in the bank. But that money cannot be used for his Senate bid.
The latest filings do show the impact of Amendment 2, which imposes limits of $2,600 on statewide, legislative and some judicial candidates. Voters overwhelmingly approved the constitutional amendment in 2016, but it does not apply to regional or local candidates.
In this year's contested battle for state auditor, Democratic incumbent Nicole Galloway reported raising $235,567 since October 1, and a bank account totaling $834,583.
Her two announced GOP rivals have amassed far less. St. Louis lawyer David Wasinger (husband of County Councilwoman Colleen Wasinger) reported raising $115,407 during the past three months. His bank account tally is $734,139 , which includes a $500,000 personal loan.
State Rep. Paul Curtman of Washington, Mo., raised $50,512 since October 1, and has $51,075 in the bank.
Among the other major campaign-finance filings from candidates not on this year's ballot:
- Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, reported raising just over $55,000 during the past three months, and has about $46,800 in the bank.
- State Treasurer Eric Schmitt, also a Republican, raised just over $21,000 and now has about $222,000 in the bank.
- Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, raised only about $2,600 during the last three months, and has just under $122,000 in the bank.
- And in St. Louis, Mayor Lyda Krewson reported raising just over $5,300 since Oct. 1. She has close to $197,000 in the bank.
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