Boyd outraises Hodges for quarter, trails in overall spending

Rep. Steve Hodges, D-East Prairie, and his Republican challenger, Neal E. Boyd, each had little cash on hand in their race for the Missouri House District 149, according to fundraising reports filed with the state Monday.

But Boyd, best known as a former winner of "America's Got Talent" did outpace the incumbent for total fundraising for that quarter that runs from April until June, the reports said. Boyd, a first-time candidate, raised $6,005 in cash from various contributors and $2,460 in in-kind donations mostly from Battle Planet Web Design of Marco Island, Fla. As of the end of June, Boyd had about $2,295 cash on hand. The report was the first fundraising report Boyd filed during the election cycle.

Hodges had $3,217 cash on hand, and raised $4,895 for the quarter. But Hodges still had far outdistanced Boyd in total election receipts, which stood at $67,026 and expenditures of more than $60,000.

The two will face each other in the Nov. 6 general election.