State's political parties go into debt

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's political parties are in debt with just about a year left before the 2016 primary elections and essentially must start from scratch in terms of fundraising, recent state campaign finance reports show.

But political scientists say the Republican and Democratic parties need less money after the Missouri Legislature in 2008 repealed limits on campaign contributions, which has changed the political dynamic in the state and shrunk the role of parties in elections.

Political leaders and experts say parties still matter in terms of candidate recruitment, on-the-ground campaigning and data-driven voter analysis. But unlimited direct donations mean individual candidates are bringing in more money and have increasing influence.

It's a shift that can be seen in party fundraising over time. The GOP state committee, for example, raised more than $8 million in the 2004 election cycle through its state account. In the 2014 elections, it raised $1.36 million.

"That has changed in this era," said GOP Chairman John Hancock, who pledged to restore the party's finances when he assumed leadership in February. "Donors can give as much as they want to candidates."

GOP fundraising this year also has been low -- about $122,000 raised for its state account as of June 30. The party has about $400 in cash on hand in its state account, about $33,400 in its federal coffers and about $65,200 of combined debt.

Hancock has said some fundraising challenges were because of allegations -- which he denies -- he was involved in an anti-Semitic whispering campaign against former Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich, who killed himself in February. At least one major Republican donor had told Hancock he has no intentions of giving money because of that.

Democrats also are historically down in fundraising, to close to $2.9 million in 2014 from about $12.8 million in 2004 in the state account. The Democrats brought in a little less than $179,000 in the party's state account as of June 30 and had less than $29,000 in cash to spend. The party has another $11,700 in a federal account.

The party has a combined $281,000 in debt -- "legacy debt," according to chairman Roy Temple. Campaign finance reports show the Missouri Democratic Party's state and federal accounts had a combined $195,000 of debt after the 2000 elections, the earliest year for which online records are available.

Attorney General Chris Koster, the only Democrat so far to announce plans to run for governor, likely will take more of a lead in unifying Democrats in 2016, a role that traditionally had been largely left to the parties, University of Missouri-St. Louis political science professor Terry Jones said.

"That candidate is going to have much more impact on what the message or messages are than is the state party," Jones said.

More broadly, the lower amount of money coming into both parties also stems from the fact donors can be more effective giving directly to candidates or other political committees than to the Republican or Democratic parties, Jones said.