Wallingford outraises Brandom in Senate race but still lags overall

Bolstered by three individual contributions of $10,000 apiece, Rep. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, outpaced opponent Rep. Ellen Brandom, R-Sikeston, by nearly $25,000 in their hunt for the Missouri Senate's 27th District, according to the year's first quarterly campaign finance reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

But in the race between two sitting state representatives looking to switch chambers, Brandom still has a hefty financial edge over Wallingford with $155,000 more total cash on hand than he does, with less than four months until the Aug. 7 Republican primary.

Still, Wallingford, who entered the race more than six months after Brandom, said he was pleased with his ability to narrow the gap somewhat by collecting $61,140 from Jan. 1 to March 31, compared to Brandom's contributions of $36,255 over the same period. He noted when he started in early January, he had about $4,000.

Wayne Wallingford

"I'm just so pleased to have gotten the reception I have," Wallingford said. "I appeal to small-business owners and individual voters, and they've just shown overwhelming support to volunteer their hard-earned dollars to help me get elected to the Senate."

Wallingford's goal is to collect another $120,000 or so between now and the primary, he said.

Brandom, for her part, suggested she lagged this quarter because she basically suspended taking contributions during the three months that the district boundaries were called into question in light of redistricting. From Dec. 9 until March 13, when the last federal lawsuit was withdrawn, Brandom said she didn't collect a penny.

"People were asking if I was sure I was going to be in their district, and I couldn't guarantee that," Brandom said. "I couldn't in good faith ask people to contribute to my campaign without being sure where the district lines were."

Brandom announced her intention to run for the 27th District in June, but her plans were upended in December when a panel of Missouri appeals court judges released statewide maps of Missouri House and Senate districts. In the redrawn map, Cape Girardeau County was shifted from the 27th to the 3rd and Scott County moved to the 25th District. Brandom decided to run for the 25th, and Wallingford, elected to the House in 2010, opted to run for the 3rd.

But the Missouri Supreme Court struck down that map and a later revision basically restored the 27th District to include the counties of Cape Girardeau, Scott, Bollinger, Madison and Perry. The only difference was that the new 27th will include Wayne County and not Mississippi County.

Both candidates drew support largely from the areas they represent in the House, with Wallingford getting many of his donations from Cape Girardeau and Brandom getting much of her money from the Sikeston area.

Wallingford collected his money from 45 contributors largely from the Cape Girardeau area, including three donations of $10,000 apiece from Anthony Keele, a Cape Girardeau physician; the McDonald's corporation that employs Wallingford; and Loyd Ivey, who is president and CEO of the Mitek Communications and Electronics Group.

Notable donors included county officials such as Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan, Coroner John Clifton, Treasurer Roger Hutson and County Clerk Kara Clark Summers, according to the Wallingford campaign. While the official filing only lists Hudson individually, Wallingford's campaign manager says that because the others gave $100 or less, they were added together and not listed individually, which is within state guidelines.

Summers confirmed that she and her husband, Cape Girardeau City Councilman Trent Summers, contributed to Wallingford's campaign.

"Trent and I both feel like he would be a good representative, and that's why we decided to support him," Kara Clark Summers said. "But I like Ellen and I like Wayne. It's unfortunate with the maps and the boundary lines changing that they're running against each other."

While Wallingford gained more money, Brandom had a larger number of contributors overall -- 73, perhaps most notably former state representative Pat Naeger, who dropped out of the race in January after learning that Brandom was coming back into the political picture here. Naeger donated $2,200 from his campaign to Brandom's because he believes she's the best candidate.

"I think she's most suited and she's got more experience," Naeger said, pointing to Brandom's three terms in the House and Wallingford's one. "If she had been in, I never would have gotten into it because I know she's a very aggressive lady, yet a class act. She's got a lot of respect in Jefferson City and a lot of support financially."

Others are finding the decision more difficult. Cape Girardeau City Councilwoman Kathy Swan, who is expected to take over the 147th House seat, said she has donated to both campaigns. Swan said she would never publicly say which she will vote for.

"It's a tough choice, but I don't think we can go wrong," she said. "They're both experienced, they both have great credentials and they both would do a great job."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, MO

Sikeston, MO