Yesterday, in the Kansas City Star:

On Missouri taxes and education policies, Rex Sinquefield’s clout is growing

By JASON HANCOCK

[….]07/19/2014 6:11 PM

….The Missouri Club for Growth, a conservative group funded largely by [Rex] Sinquefield….

Largely? Really?

From the Missouri Club for Growth July 2014 quarterly campaign finance report:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

MISSOURI CLUB FOR GROWTH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [pdf] 7/15/2014

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

[emphasis added]

From the April 2014 quarterly campaign finance report:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

MISSOURI CLUB FOR GROWTH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [pdf] 4/15/2014

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

[emphasis added]

From the March 31, 2014 8 Day Before General Municipal Election campaign report:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

MISSOURI CLUB FOR GROWTH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [pdf] 3/31/2014

Rex Sinquefield 244 Bent Walnut Westphalia MO 65085 Retired 3/27/2014 $973,000.00

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

[emphasis added]

From the January 2014 quarterly campaign finance report:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION

CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED

MISSOURI CLUB FOR GROWTH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [pdf] 1/15/2014

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

Barb Carney 9901 NW 71st Terrace Parkville MO 64152 Retired 10/28/2013 $15.00

Linda Cone 10204 NW 73rd Tr Weatherby Lake MO 64152 Self Employed 10/28/2013 $50.00

Jacque Cox 6200 S. National Dr Parkville MO 64152 Retired 10/28/2013 $30.00

Theresa Emerson 14255 NW 65th Pl Parkville MO 64152 None 10/28/2013 15.00

Mary Hill 1354 Wildbriar Dr Liberty MO 64060 St. Luke’s Hospital 10/28/2013 $15.00

Mark Hirsch 5821 N Cypress Ave Kansas City MO 64119 None 10/28/2013 $40.00

Bob Holliger 14706 E 43rd St. S Independence MO 64055 Retired 10/28/2013 $100.00

Cecilia Johnson 1908 E 15th Terrace Kansas City MO 64127 Rachel House 10/28/2013 $20.00

Jamie McCarthy 5941 Oak St Kansas CIty MO 64113 Cloudge Court 10/28/2013 $50.00

William Norwood 5815 N Cypress Ave Kansas City MO 64119 Self 10/28/2013 $15.00

Joe Roetheli 10206 Liberty Cir Liberty MO 64068 Self 10/28/2013 $30.00

Beverlee Roper 9902 NW 73rd Terrace Weatherby Lake MO 64152 Platte County 10/28/2013 $50.00

Barb Thiewes 4513 NW Baltimore Dr Kansas City MO 64116 Cohen Esrey Real Estate 10/28/2013 $40.00

Lee Valentine 7842 N Dawn Ave Kansas City MO 64151 Retired 10/28/2013 $50.00

Jonathon Westbrook 7932 Roswell Ave Kansas City MO 66109 KCKPD 10/28/2013 $15.00

John Stolte 11006 Booth Ave Kansas City MO 64134 MarksNelson 10/28/2013 $25.00

John Stolte 11006 Booth Ave Kansas City MO 64134 MarksNelson 11/28/2013 $25.00

All Season’s Rental 5050 Kansas Ave Kansas City MO 66106 11/15/2013 $286.94

Elaine Koch 1215 W 61st St Kansas City MO 64113 Bryan Cave 10/28/2013 $50.00

[emphasis added]

Interesting. Let’s put all of this information in some perspective:

Rex Sinquefield’s campaign contribution to the Missouri Club for Growth as reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission in 2014

– compared to those of seventeen other individuals and one business entity. That tiny slice is everyone else.

The term “largely” doesn’t do the reality any justice.

On Missouri taxes and education policies, Rex Sinquefield’s clout is growing

By JASON HANCOCK

[….]07/19/2014 6:11 PM

“….We are not a puppet of Mr. Sinquefield,” Abrajano said. “His contributions are truly his only involvement….”

Oh, but the rest of us are.

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission, contributions by a right wingnut astroturf organization to one each of the republican candidates in the 31st and 21st Senate Districts:

C121090 07/20/2012 CITIZENS FOR ED EMERY Missouri Club for Growth P O Box 2068 St Louis MO 63158 7/20/2012 $40,000.00

C051254 07/20/2012 MCGHEE FOR SENATE Missouri Club for Growth P.O. Box 2068 St Louis MO 63158 7/20/2012 $20,000.00

[emphasis added]

They’ll always have all the money they’ll ever need.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: David Pearce (r) and Mike McGhee (r) – July quarterly reports (July 16, 2012)

Campaign Finance: a sign on every lawn (July 16, 2012)

Mail: If you’ve seen one republican candidate driving a tractor in the 21st Senate District… (July 18, 2012)

A helpful reader protested that, pace Michael, the Missouri Club for Growth does not donate solely to Republicans. And he’s right. According to their latest MEC filing, Club for Growth has donated a total of $9,616.41 between four Democratic candidates: Rodney Hubbard ($4,908), Curt Dougherty ($1,871), Tishaura Jones ($1,182), and Michael Favazza ($1,653). Jones and Dougherty are incumbent state representatives fighting off primary challengers, Hubbard is in a tough battle for an open state senate seat, and Michael Favazza is running against semi-incumbent Michele Kratky for a state house seat. (Michele won a special election for her husband’s former seat back in February. She was unopposed.)

The donations are all in-kind; they are mailings purchased from Victory Enterprises, a consulting group in Iowa. They don’t advertise their party leanings, but they were founded by the former Chairman of the Iowa Republican Party.

Our helpful reader can perhaps shed some more light as to why these Democrats were selected, but as far as I can tell, all four of them have taken stances more commonly associated with Republicans on a few high profile issues. I mean, Jones isn’t getting Club for Growth money because she wants to decriminalize marijuana.

Hubbard has voted for repealing campaign contribution limits. Hubbard and Favazza want to give tax credits to parents who pay tuition in private schools, and Dougherty, Jones, and Hubbard all want lower caps on damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.

So yeah, Missouri Club for Growth is not a reflexively Republican outfit. They are an ideologically conservative group that isn’t afraid to primary challenge Republicans or fund Democrats in select instances. It works, too – Arlen Specter veered right after a primary challenger funded by the national Club for Growth nearly knocked him off in 2004.