JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 Nearly all Republicans seeking statewide offices headed into the final weeks of Missouri鈥檚 2024 general election campaign with robust fundraising leads over their Democratic counterparts.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe鈥檚 bid to keep the governor鈥檚 office in GOP hands reported $2.4 million across two fundraising accounts compared to about $560,000 for House Minority Leader Crystal Quade.
Quade put a positive spin on her money totals, which cover the fundraising quarter ending on Sept. 30.
鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for the overwhelming support from everyday Missourians for this campaign. Voters are sick of bought-and-paid for politicians who make life easier for their corporate donors and well-connected political insiders. Missourians are ready for a leader who will put everyday working Missouri families first,鈥 said Quade, a Springfield Democrat.
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Quade has begun airing television ads and Kehoe is on track to go on the air in the closing days. Quade also is tying her campaign to the more well-funded ballot initiative that would restore abortion rights in Missouri.
Republicans hold all statewide offices and control both chambers of the Legislature. Publicly available polls show the GOP candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer and secretary of state each favored to win on Nov. 5.
Trump has won the state in both his bids for the White House.
The lone Democrat winning the money race among statewide office seekers is Rep. Barbara Phifer, a Kirkwood pastor, who is facing Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, for secretary of state.
Phifer reported having about $130,000 available in the closing weeks, compared to Hoskins鈥 $122,000.
Phifer has raised red flags about Hoskins鈥 suggestion that ballots should be hand-counted, saying that is less reliable and significantly slower than machine counting.
Hoskins is among those Republican candidates echoing Trump鈥檚 unfounded claims about election security in the wake of the 2020 election.
Among Hoskins鈥 largest donors during the previous three months was retired St. 不良研究所导航网址 financier Rex Sinquefield, a GOP megadonor.
In the race for lieutenant governor, Republican David Wasinger, a St. 不良研究所导航网址 County attorney, had $200,000 as of Sept. 30.
Wasinger, who largely self-funded his primary race with $1.2 million in loans to himself, faces Democratic Assistant House Minority Leader Richard Brown of Kansas City.
Brown has done little fundraising and did not file a quarterly report with the Missouri Ethics Commission by Tuesday鈥檚 deadline.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey, an appointee of Gov. Mike Parson, has $842,000 across two campaign accounts, compared to Democrat Elad Gross, who reported $140,000.
Treasurer Vivek Malek, also a Parson appointee, reported having $43,000 available, compared to $13,000 for Democrat Mark Osmack.