And then some.

Pat Contreras, the Democratic Party candidate for State Treasurer in 2016 [2015 file photo].

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for Pat Contreras, the 2016 Democratic Party candidate for State Treasurer:

C151083 08/24/2015 CONTRERAS FOR TREASURER McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. 720 Olive, Ste. 2500 St Louis MO 63101 8/24/2015 $5,001.00

[emphasis added]

In the current campaign finance environment of no-limit high dollar contributions this particular item is something of a rarity for Pat Contreras’ (D) campaign. In the past:

….To put it in perspective that’s 386 contributions of $500.00 or less. 365 contributions of $350.00 or less. 357 contributions of $250.00 or less. 308 contributions of $200.00 or less. 278 contributions of $150.00 or less. 256 contributions of $100.00 or less. 135 contributions of $50 or less….

Previously:

Pat Contreras (D) a candidate for State Treasurer in 2016 (April 13, 2015)

State Treasurer – July 2015 Campaign Finance Reports (July 20, 2015)

Well, that and sarcasm.

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for an initiative campaign promoting campaign finance limits:

41592 08/24/2015 RETURNING GOVERNMENT TO THE PEOPLE Fred N Sauer 454 Hammersmith Road St Louis MO 63141 Orion Investment Company 8/21/2015 $40,000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a total of $170,000.00 from one individual since July. Think about that for a minute.

Previously:

The world we live in (July 21, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a vague sense of an impending populist groundswell (August 7, 2015)

Since Democratic Senator Ted House completed his term in 2002, not one St. Charles County’s state senator has completed their full term. Only Republican senators have been elected since then, and they have all quit early choosing personal gain over their sworn duty to serve their constituents.

The latest Republican quitter is Senator Tom Dempsey who has been purchased by billionaire Rex Sinquefield to do his bidding as an insider lobbyist. Instead of doing his best for over 200,000 residents of our county, Dempsey has cashed in his chips for personal profit and kissed the foot of an autocratic want-to-be king.

Unfortunately for citizens of St. Charles County, Dempsey is just another in an ever lengthening list of St. Charles County Republicans who have deserted their posts early for their own monetary advantage. Republicans have a sordid history of running up the white flag of surrender more often than the French Army.

In 2005, Sen. Jon Dolan quit for the well paid cushy job of lobbyist for the Missouri Healthcare Association. In May of 2007, Dempsey’s predecessor Sen. Chuck Gross bailed out early when his mentor former Senator and now County Executive Steve Ehlmann made him an offer he couldn’t refuse to become Director of Administration for St. Charles County.

Perhaps the greediest of the quitters was former Senator Scott Rupp.  In the middle of last year’s legislative session, Rupp summarily quit to take an appointment to the Missouri Public Service Commission.  This part time job pays a whopping $105,570 while still allowing Rupp to keep his patronage banking job.

It shouldn’t be lost on voters, three of these quitters, Dempsey, Gross, and Rupp all took jobs as vice presidents of banks while in office even though none had degrees in finance or any banking experience. So their hands were getting well greased before they actually quit.

Add to these senatorial quitters two key house members. In 2007, former House Pro Tem Carl Bearden walked out on his constituents to also follow the green money trail of Rex Sinquefield. Then in 2010, Sally Faith promised not to run for Mayor of St. Charles if citizens would reelect her to the House. Six months later she was sworn in as mayor.

The picture is clear for voters. The Republicans they have been electing to do the people’s work are more about their own financial futures than the future of St. Charles County.

On money.

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission for one of the 2016 republican candidates for attorney general:

C151132 08/22/2015 HAWLEY FOR MISSOURI Peter Thiel One Letterman Drive Building C, Suite 400 San Francisco CA 94129 Thiel Capital LLC 8/21/2015 $100,000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s some serious cash.

And a couple of weeks ago:

C151132 08/05/2015 HAWLEY FOR MISSOURI Kathleen Mumma 19 Friar Tuck Circle Summit NJ 07901 Self-employed homemaker 8/4/2015 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Interestingly, at present neither contributor can vote in the republican primary in Missouri.

Attorney General Chris Koster (D) at the

Missouri State Fair Governor’s Ham Breakfast – August 20, 2015.

Meanwhile, Thursday at the Missouri Ethics Commission for the (probable) 2016 Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate:

C031159 08/20/2015 KOSTER FOR MISSOURI Anheuser-Busch Companies 1 Busch Pl 202-8 Saint Louis MO 63118 8/20/2015 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Previously:

Campaign Finance: inexorable (July 7, 2015)

Campaign Finance: I’ll see your managed care and raise you a home health service… (July 14, 2015)

Chris Koster (D) – July 2015 Campaign Finance Report (July 18, 2015)

Campaign Finance: no surprise here (July 21, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a different constituency (July 29, 2015)

Campaign Finance: no rest (August 3, 2015)

PPP Missouri Poll: 2016 U.S. Senate and Governor – August 11, 2015 (August 11, 2015)

Campaign Finance: rolling in (August 15, 2015)

We noted at yesterday morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair that a number of republican candidates and office holders (along with some campaign’s supporters) were outfitted in informal campaign wear. Not so much for the Democratic Party candidates and office holders we ran into.

This candidate was just making sure everyone knows where he stands:

We understand where, too:

Sen. Will Kraus (r): warming up the crowd about urban schools at the Santorum rally (February 4, 2012)

An oxymoron?:

Who?:

And, of course, a few candidates had their campaign volunteers outfitted in their latest campaign t-shirt fashions:

There’s a juvenile joke in their somewhere. We’re not above laughing at it.

That logo appears to be splitting the state in two.

Previously:

Unintentionally ironic… (August 20, 2015)

Missouri State Fair – Governor’s Ham Breakfast – August 20, 2015 (August 20, 2015)

This morning we attended the largest annual single gathering of politicians in Missouri, outside of the General Assembly, at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast on the grounds of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition – potential political opponents for statewide and legislative office milling around and greeting each other, breakfast attendees, and the media.

It’s also an opportunity for us to get photographs of a number of public officials and political candidates in one place. Some of those results:  

Attorney General Chris Koster (D), a (probable) candidate for Governor in 2016.

Campaign Finance: inexorable (July 7, 2015)

Campaign Finance: I’ll see your managed care and raise you a home health service… (July 14, 2015)

Chris Koster (D) – July 2015 Campaign Finance Report (July 18, 2015)

Campaign Finance: no surprise here (July 21, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a different constituency (July 29, 2015)

Campaign Finance: no rest (August 3, 2015)

PPP Missouri Poll: 2016 U.S. Senate and Governor – August 11, 2015 (August 11, 2015)

Campaign Finance: rolling in (August 15, 2015)

Former Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley (D), a candidate for Attorney General in 2016.

Teresa Hensley (D) announces 2016 run for Attorney General (July 30, 2015)

Former Missouri House Speaker and U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway (r), a candidate for Governor in 2016.

Campaign Finance: a Florida populist? (June 3, 2015)

Campaign Finance: $10,000.00 is a popular amount (June 4, 2015)

Campaign Finance: still awake (June 17, 2015)

Campaign Finance: they have the power… (June 19, 2015)

Catherine Hanaway (r) – July 2015 Campaign Finance Report (July 17, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a familiar amount (July 22, 2015)

Bev Randles (r), a candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2016.

Campaign Finance: Oh, hell, just buy the state already (December 8, 2014)

Campaign Finance: Exploring something. (January 13, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a December to really remember (January 18, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a sense of proportion (April 22, 2015)

Bev Randles (r): officially in the 2016 Lieutenant Governor race (July 1, 2015)

Lieutenant Governor – July 2015 Campaign Finance Reports (July 19, 2015)

Jay Ashcroft (r), a candidate for Secretary of State in 2016.

The legacy will continue to try (January 14, 2015)

Campaign Finance: enabling the legacy (May 8, 2015)

The legacy demonstrates difficulty understanding concepts taught on a children’s television show (May 20, 2015)

Family ties (May 27, 2015)

Campaign Finance: a fistful of silver dollars (July 2, 2015)

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r), a candidate for reelection in the 4th Congressional District in 2016.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): has a SCOTUScare! sad (June 25, 2015)

Rep Vicky Hartzler (r): has another U.S. Supreme Court sad – today it’s marriage equality (June 26, 2015)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): on the Iran nuclear deal – Harrisonville, MO – August 14, 2015 (August 15, 2015)

Previously:

Missouri State Fair – the Governor’s Ham Breakfast – photos (August 16, 2012)

The Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair – 2013 (August 15, 2013)

Tomorrow morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the State Fair is gonna be really interesting (August 13, 2014)

Gov. Jay Nixon will be in the St. Louis area today, not at the State Fair (August 14, 2014)

What if you had a ham breakfast and the Governor couldn’t be there? (August 14, 2015)

Unintentionally ironic… (August 20, 2015)

…on so many levels.

A Roy Blunt (r) U.S. Senate campaign sign crew at the back of a mini rally before

the start of the Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia – August 20, 2015.

Probably.

Previously:

Our world in three Tweets (April 21, 2015)

PPP polling results in Missouri: social media hints (August 11, 2015)

PPP Missouri Poll: 2016 U.S. Senate and Governor – August 11, 2015 (August 11, 2015)

Yesterday at the Missouri Ethics Commission for John Brunner’s (r) 2016 exploratory gubernatorial campaign::

C151077 08/19/2015 MISSOURIANS FOR JOHN BRUNNER John Gentry 423 N Campbell Ave Springfield MO 65806 Positronic Industries President 8/19/2015 $5,001.00

[emphasis added]

Positively?

Previously:

Campaign Finance: You were expecting anything other than $5,001.00? (April 24, 2015)

John Brunner (r): something or another (April 28, 2015)

Campaign Finance: It’s a good thing yesterday was a slow news day… (May 14, 2015)

Campaign Finance: that’s a lot of exploration (May 16, 2015)

Campaign Finance: probably not the singer (June 8, 2015)

John Brunner (r) – July 2015 Quarterly Campaign Finance Report (July 15, 2015)

Campaign Finance: think of it as motivation (August 13, 2015)

F 10, 11.6 sec., ISO 100, 50 mm.

In west central Missouri, before the deluge.