Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C091011 03/26/2012 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER Ethelmae Humphreys 2505 E 11th St Joplin MO 64801 Tamko 3/26/2012 $100,000.00

Brad Lager and the New World of Missouri Campaign Finance (January 19, 2012)

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder (r) has got himself a primary.

Yesterday, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C091145 02/16/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER JOHN WALLACE 10420 WHITEBRIDGE LN ST LOUIS MO 63141 RETIRED 2/16/2012 $1,500.00

[emphasis added]

Laissez les bons temps rouler.

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C091145 02/09/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER St Louis Cardinals LLC 700 Clark St St Louis MO 63102 2/9/2012 $5,000.00

[emphasis added]

Evidently a tribute to Herman C. Long.

Over the last few days, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C111177 01/30/2012 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI Kenneth McClain 308 W. Maple Independence MO 64050 Humphrey Farrington & McClain, P.C. Attorney 1/30/2012 $10,000.00

C111177 01/30/2012 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI Missouri State Council Of Machinist P.A.C. 12365 St. Charles Rock Road Bridgeton MO 63044 1/30/2012 $525.00

C111177 01/31/2012 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI Denise Henning 1044 Main, Suite 500 Kansas City MO 64105 The Henning Law Firm Attorney 1/30/2012 $1,000.00

C111177 01/31/2012 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI Kenner & Schmitt, PC 117 W. 20th St, Suite 201 Kansas City MO 64108 1/31/2012 $1,500.00

C111177 02/01/2012 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons’ Local #518 Political Action Committee 301 S Main St Independence MO 64050 2/1/2012 $510.00

C111177 02/03/2012 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI Holman Schiavone, LLC 4600 Madison, Suite 810 Kansas City MO 64112 2/3/2012 $2,000.00

C111177 02/03/2012 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI Kirk D. Holman, P.C. 4600 Madison Avenue, Suite 810 Kansas City MO 64112 2/3/2012 $2,000.00

[emphasis added]

C121030 02/03/2012 JUDY BAKER FOR MISSOURI Jeanne Seabaugh 3609 Holly Hills Columbia MO 65203 retired retired 1/31/2012 $1,000.00

C121030 02/03/2012 JUDY BAKER FOR MISSOURI Charles Swaney 2709 Westbrook Columbia MO 65203 Radiology Consultants Physician 1/31/2012 $1,000.00

C121030 02/03/2012 JUDY BAKER FOR MISSOURI Randy Mueller 8860 W. Route O Rocheport MO 65279 self physician 1/31/2012 $2,000.00

C121030 02/03/2012 JUDY BAKER FOR MISSOURI Karla DeSpain 1800 Glenbrook Columbia MO 65203 self homemaker 1/31/2012 $1,000.00

C121030 02/03/2012 JUDY BAKER FOR MISSOURI Betsy Winnacker 609 Thilly Columbia MO 65203 retired retired 1/31/2012 $1,500.00

[emphasis added]

Even Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder (r) has been having some success:

C091145 02/02/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER U.S. Tool Grinding,Inc 701 South Desloge Dr Desloge MO 63601 2/2/2012 $5,000.00

C091145 02/04/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER Friends of Tilley 100 S Jacskon Perryville MO 63775 2/4/2012 $5,000.00

C091145 02/04/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER Enviromental Operations Inc 1530 South Second St Ste 200 St Louis MO 63104 2/4/2012 $1,500.00

C091145 02/04/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER Enviromental Contracting, Inc. 1530 South Second St St Louis MO 63104 2/4/2012 $1,500.00

C091145 02/04/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER EOI Employee PAC 1530 S 2nd Street Ste 200 St Louis MO 63104 2/4/2012 $2,000.00

Evidently the Speaker who is not running for office bestowed his monetary blessings upon a candidate.

Here’s the playing card if you’re interested in keeping track of who’s running:

Election Year: 2012 — Election Date: 08/07/2012 — Political Office: LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

C121030 JUDY BAKER FOR MISSOURI BAKER JUDY 08/07/2012 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Active

C010984 ELECT CYNTHIA DAVIS DAVIS CYNTHIA 08/07/2012 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Active

C111206 CITIZENS TO ELECT CHARLES R JACKSON JACKSON CHARLES 08/07/2012 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Active

C091011 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER LAGER BRAD 08/07/2012 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Active

C111177 MONTEE FOR MISSOURI MONTEE SUSAN 08/07/2012 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Active

C111078 PLATTNER FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PLATTNER BECKY 08/07/2012 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Active

C051108 CITIZENS FOR RIDGEWAY RIDGEWAY LUANN 08/07/2012 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Active

That’s quite a crowd.

Brad Lager pulled in $733K in the 4th quarter. But if we go to a chart, we find that 2 donors made up over 2/3rds of that total (500K total), and that 17 donors made up 95% of that 733K. So the donors who didn’t give $5K or more donated $33K to Lager

Peter Kinder raised $118K in the Q4. So thanks to big money, an incumbent just got outraised by a 6:1 margin. Kinder has $1.3M on hand right now and still thinks he could run for Governor one day.

Former State Rep Judy Baker of Columbia is entering the Lt. Governor field. Presumably she knows fewer people who are willing or able to drop $250K on a campaign contribution.

Update: I dug into the 1K-5K (no donations were made between $2501 and $4999). So the 1-5K made up $28500 and donations under $1K made up $4770.44. The 1% (0.65%) to Brad Lager are donors who donated less than $1K to him in the last quarter.

In chart form-

Previously on ShowMeProgress:

Campaign Finance: Add big contributions, stir, voila, instant campaign! – part 2

Campaign Finance: Add big contributions, stir, voila, instant campaign!

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C001135 01/01/2012 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI Teamsters 245 Political Action Fund 1850 E. Division Street Springfield MO 65803 12/30/2011 $20,000.00

C001135 01/01/2012 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI Thompson Coburn LLP One US Bank Plaza Saint Louis MO 63101 12/31/2011 $15,000.00

C001135 01/01/2012 JAY NIXON FOR MISSOURI Michael Ketchmark 15454 Iron Horse Circle Overland Park KS 66224 Davis, Ketchmark, McCreight & Ivers, PC Attorney 12/31/2011 $10,000.00

C091145 01/01/2012 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER Friends of Tilley 100 S. Jackson Perryville MO 63775 12/31/2011 $15,000.00

[emphasis added]

These big bucks contributions came in under the wire for the last quarter of 2011.

That’s $45,000.00 for Governor Jay Nixon (D) and another mercy contribution for Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder (r).

Well, now we know where Speaker Steve Tilley (r) stands, but don’t cry for Brad Lager (r). Pass the popcorn.  

Brad Lager’s (r) instant campaign for Lieutenant Governor, challenging incumbent Peter Kinder (r) in the primary, got another big money boost. Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C091011 12/30/2011 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER Citizens for Will Kraus 612 SW Trail Park Circle Lees Summit MO 64081 12/29/2011 $25,000.00

C091011 12/30/2011 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER Herzog Contracting Corp P O Box 1089 St Joseph MO 64502 12/29/2011 $250,000.00

C091011 12/30/2011 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER Friends for Munzlinger P O Box 65 Monticello MO 63457 12/29/2011 $5,001.00

C091011 12/30/2011 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER Nodaway Valley Bank P O Box 700 Maryville MO 64468 12/29/2011 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

That’s a total of $640,001.00 in one week from two individuals, two companies, and two committees. It’s good to be the kingmakers.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: it’s the most wonderful time of the year… (December 29, 2011)

Campaign Finance: Add big contributions, stir, voila, instant campaign! (December 23, 2011)

…for candidates. Those end of the quarter big dollar contributions are coming in. Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C111205 12/29/2011 SPENCE FOR GOVERNOR Gary Seeman 935 Morrison Ave. St Louis MO 63104 Alpha Packaging CFO 12/29/2011 $10,000.00

C111205 12/29/2011 SPENCE FOR GOVERNOR Carol McLerran 2904 W. 124th Street Leawood KS 66209 Alpha Packaging Executive 12/29/2011 $25,000.00

[emphasis added]

It’s a good gig, if you can keep it.

And even Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder’s (r) campaign managed to garner a mercy contribution:

C091145 12/29/2011 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER James McDonnell III 40 Glen Eagles Dr. St Louis MO 63124 Retired Retired 12/28/2011 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

That doesn’t make Brad Lager (r) too sad. Perspective.

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C091011 12/23/2011 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER Jeanne Patterson 20 E Dundee Cir Vlg Loch Loyd MO 64012 Requested 12/22/2011 $100,000.00

C091011 12/23/2011 CITIZENS FOR BRAD LAGER David Humphreys P O Box 4050 Joplin MO 64803 Tamko 12/22/2011 $250,000.00

[emphasis added]

Uh, Jeanne Patterson? Oh, yeah, couldn’t explain how a bill becomes law, but can evidently write big checks.

And what office is Brad Lager (r) running for? Lieutenant Governor, he says.

Wait, isn’t Peter Kinder (r) running for re-election as Lieutenant Governor? Didn’t David Humphreys want his money back?

Pass the popcorn.  

We all know that the GOP primary candidates for Claire McCaskill’s senatorial seat are what can only be charitably described charitably as a bunch of hot messes. Even members of the GOP seem to realize this fact, as witness the recent disparaging remarks from the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Nor, if I am not mistaken, have the GOP gubernatorial possibilities been especially promising. Think Peter “Pantless” Kinder, poor, out-of-his-depth Tom Schweich, or, God forbid, Ed Martin with his scandal-laden past, who has been signaling that he would like to complete his trifecta and run for Governor as well as the other offices he is or was seeking.  

Which brings us to the candidacy of wealthy St. Louis businessman, Dave Spence. I, naive creature that I am, assumed that he entered the race in response to the perceived weakness of the GOP gubernatorial field. Spence, a relative unknown, seemed to offer the Missouri GOP a chance to escape the miasma of absurdity that adheres to the other, better-known, potential contenders.

But we live and learn. The more I read about Spence. the easier it is to conclude that there’s nobody left in the GOP who isn’t a total fool and/or charlatan. Consider FiredUp!‘s report on Spence’s tweets about the importance of getting “gov’t off the back of the private sector to create jobs.” This comes from a man who, as FiredUp’s Parker explains:

… completely forgot about the $40 million bailout that his bank received while he served on the board and has subsequently refused to pay back.  Let’s not forget that when pressed on the issue, Spence has repeatedly refused to give a straight answer why his bank hasn’t repaid the taxpayer dollars, even after pouring $2 million into his own campaign fund.

Words like “dishonest” and “hypocrite” come to mind,” although I suspect phrases like “cognitively impaired” might actually be more descriptive. Perhaps Spence isn’t really so different from the other Missouri GOP governor wannabes after all – almost all of whom, to be honest, would fit in very well with the merry band of loonies performing so hilariously in the GOP presidential primary debates. These folks might really, sadly, be the actual face of the contemporary GOP.