Wallingford gains some financial ground, still trails Brandom overall

Rep. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, has come storming back in campaign fundraising for the Missouri Senate's 27th District race, amassing contributions that grew from a paltry $4,000 when he announced in January to a more respectable $143,820 in cash on hand and about $180,000 collected in total so far.

But his opponent, Rep. Ellen Brandom, R-Sikeston, still held a significant financial lead, according to reports filed with state elections officials Monday, with nearly twice as much on hand than Wallingford and total receipts for the entire election approaching $400,000.

Meanwhile, money was being spent in local Missouri House races as well, including those centered in Jackson, the Sikeston area, Farmington and East Prairie.

But the big dollars are being spent in the Senate race. While Brandom did not return phone calls Monday seeking comment, Wallingford said what he's collected so far is enough to get his credentials to the public and he believes that will be more than enough to put him over the top.

"I probably didn't even look like a viable threat at the time," Wallingford said of his humble start. "They looked at that $4,000 and thought I'd be weak and they wouldn't have to worry about me."

Wallingford said that who has contributed to his campaign is more important than the bottom line. Wallingford points out that he received $5,000 from the Missouri State Teachers Association and much of the rest came in smaller amounts from residents and business owners inside the district. The report, filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission, also shows that Wallingford received donations from eight political action committees such as ones that represent Realtors ($1,000) and dentists ($250) during the quarter that ended June 30.

But he notes that only $14,000 in total came from such committees, while his opponent gathered $108,000 from lobbyists -- a fact confirmed by her campaign filing.

"It's harder to call people and get $100 than it is to call a lobbyist and get $10,000," Wallingford said.

Both candidates have felt compelled to get loans to contribute to their own campaign, with Wallingford's $30,000 loan and Brandom's $25,000.

Still, Wallingford acknowledged he's known he wouldn't be able to outraise Brandom, who had basically been collecting money since her last election to the Missouri House in 2010. He's gained much ground in six months and believes how it's spent in the days leading up to Aug. 7 is most important. He also pointed out what he sees as another advantage -- where he lives within the six-county district that covers Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Perry, Scott and Wayne.

Wallingford's residency is in Cape Girardeau County, which carries 53 percent of the district's overall Republican ballots, while Brandom's home county of Scott only carries 12. By the end of his campaign, Wallingford said he expected to have raised $250,000.

"I run every day like I'm 100 votes behind," he said.

146th District

In the Jackson-based 146th House District, Rep. Donna Lichtenegger outpaced both of her Republican rivals, collecting monetary contributions of $15,985 for the quarter and total receipts reaching $26,385. The one-term incumbent had $15,299 cash on hand. Meanwhile, Gerald Adams -- in his first campaign filing of the election -- had total receipts of $12,572, with about $5,971 still on hand. But of that amount, $5,442 came from a loan that Adams, a member of the Jackson School Board, made to his campaign.

Van Hitt, a former Jackson football coach, also lent his campaign about $6,000, which raised his total collections to $10,950. Hitt had about $4,544 still on hand. Hitt received $3,205 in contributions for the filing period.

Lichtenegger's noteworthy contributors included former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft ($500) and Rep. Billy Pat Wright, R-Dexter ($400). Some of her contributions came from political action committees such as Pfizer of New York ($500) and from contributors outside her district.

Lichtenegger, who narrowly beat Adams in 2010, said the Ashcroft donation came because they're family friends. Her husband, lawyer John, worked on Ashcroft's first campaign for Missouri auditor.

As far as donations coming from outside the district, Lichtenegger said she had "friends all over the state." She also stressed that her PAC money came from health care oriented committees.

Adams drew support from the educational community, from a statewide and local level. His biggest donor was the Missouri State Teachers Association, which gave $1,000. Jackson School District superintendent Ron Anderson also kicked in $250. Adams said that should be telling.

"They know I'm going to be an advocate for public schools," Adams said. "But I know we have a limited amount of funds. A lot of the people who I've talked to have been positive about my campaign."

Hitt had collected smaller amounts from individuals, although almost all of them came from within the district.

In other House races:

* Former Jo Ann Emerson staffer Holly Rehder is leading her Republican opponent, former Sikeston mayor Josh Bill, in fundraising by significant margins for the 148th District seat. Rehder has total receipts for the election sitting at $56,132. In the most recent quarterly report, Rehder collected $11,540, with about $31,000 still on hand. Bill's report, his first in the election, reflected total receipts of $11,850, which included a $10,000 loan to himself.

* "America's Got Talent" winner Neal E. Boyd raised $8,465 for his first time candidacy. The Sikeston-based Republican hopes to unseat Rep. Steve Hodges, R-East Prairie, for the 149th District. Hodges' report was not listed on the Missouri Ethics Commission website late Monday.

* In what is essentially a race for House Speaker Steve Tilley's seat, Sen. Kevin Engler hopes to return to the House, but Farmington City Council member John Robinson has designs of his own. If finances are any indicator, Robinson has an uphill climb. Engler has $52,006 still on hand, while Robinson has just over $2,000.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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