Hopefuls add to campaign coffers in election home-stretch

The candidates for Cape Girardeau County clerk remained closely matched in fund-raising during July thanks to a $5,000 loan to one campaign and a single day of contributions that brought in $2,970 to the other.

FIrst-time candidate Kara Clark made the loan to her campaign, bringing her total money raised since entering the race to $21,984. Paul Sander, mayor of Jackson for 13 years, had the big day of fund-raising on July 12, bringing his total to $23,389 including more than $8,000 left over from past campaigns.

The Sander-Clark contest among Republicans next Tuesday is the highest profile local primary race. The winner gets the job because no other candidates filed for the November election.

Monday was the deadline for filing campaign finance reports due eight days before the election. Some reports were not available because the candidates involved mailed them and they had not been received or scanned by the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Complete reports for three other races were available -- the circuit judge contest between incumbent Ben Lewis, Republican, and challenger John Heisserer, Democrat, as well as for candidates in the 158th and 160th Missouri House districts.

Committed to winning

The loan from Clark to her own campaign shows her commitment to winning, said campaign assistant treasurer Diane Diebold, the Cape Girardeau County collector. "She had indicated to us all along that she was going to put money in," Diebold said.

Sander's single-day large cash infusion took place July 12. The total includes $600 from businesses owned by Kimberly and Terrence Kelley, along with $200 from the Kelleys as individuals. He also raised $1,300 in contributions from two union funds associated with the Craftsman International Union, the union's leader Fred Kelley and a PAC controlled by Kelley, Missourians for Good Government LLC.

Sander also took an in-kind contribution that far exceeded the legal limit for such donations. Stooges, a Jackson restaurant owned by long-time Sander friend and supporter Ron Cook, provided $1,430 in food for a fund-raising event, a value for help that is $1,105 more than the $325 contribution limit.

Questionable donation

Sander said he wasn't aware of the questionable donation but said it was an honest mistake and that steps would be taken to make a correction. "If that is not right, whatever steps we have to do to make it right, we'll do."

John Thompson, treasurer of Sander's campaign and Bank of Missouri president, said he has placed calls to the Missouri Ethics Commission for guidance. "It may be we have to end up paying the difference," he said.

Both Sander and Clark spent much of their campaign treasuries in July to purchase print, radio and cable television advertising. Sander's advertising campaign cost him $9,449 so far; Clark's effort rang up $7,620 in costs.

In another area primary, this one on the Democratic side in Scott County, the two candidates slowed down fundraising in July while spending from accumulated resources on advertising and campaign literature.

Glenn Pinkerton, a former Sikeston school board member, faces Jamie Burger, associate county commissioner, in the race to replace Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel, who is not seeking re-election. No Republican filed for the office.

Pinkerton raised $1,070 from July 1 to July 27, adding to the $12,535 raised previously. During that period he spent $2,300, bringing his total expenses so far to $13,200.

Burger raised $1,005 from July 1 to July 27, and spent nearly $1,590 in that time. Previously, Burger raised $5,150 and spent almost $4,000.

In the contest for the 158th District Missouri House seat, state Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, raised almost $5,000 for the November contest against Democrat Matt Hill and Libertarian George Webster. Hill took in $525.

The money for Cooper included $2,200 from political action committees and $1,625 from the 158th Republican Legislative District Committee. Cooper has raised $16,712 and has $9,214 available for the fall election.

Hill received money from an autoworkers PAC and a local Democratic women's club. He has raised $5,537 for the election and has $4,738 in the bank.

In the 160th District Missouri House race, Democrat Larry Tetley made up a little ground on his Republican rival, Ellen Brandom, in the contest to replace Rep. Peter Myers Sr., R-Sikeston, who must step aside because of term limits.

Fund-raising lead

Brandom, however, continues to have a commanding fund-raising lead, adding $2,274 to bring her total to $48,184 so far and having $29,063 in the bank. Tetley raised $3,370 in July, bringing his total to $10,840 with $603 in the bank.

The 160th District covers western Scott County, including Sikeston and Benton as well as sections of Cape Girardeau, New Madrid and Mississippi counties.

In the race for circuit judge in the 32nd Circuit of Cape Girardeau, Perry and Bollinger counties, Democrat John Heisserer took in $6,674 during the reporting period, raising his total to $24,589.

Heisserer is challenging incumbent Ben Lewis for the seat Lewis won from Heisserer in 2004. Lewis raised only $400 during the reporting period, bringing his total to $15,685.

Staff writer Matt Sanders contributed to this report.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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