Chris Koster (D)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.(Legal Newsline)--In the race to succeed Jay Nixon as Missouri's attorney general, state Rep. Chris Koster has raised and spent more than both his major Democratic competitors, combined, campaign finance reports show.
Nixon, also a Democrat, is running for governor. Three high-profile Democrats are locked in a tight race for their party's nomination, to be decided Aug. 5.
Koster, once a Republican, raised $117,954 in the latest filing period, bringing his total to $2,228,044.78. He spent $903,975.35 between July 1 and 24, again more than both main Democratic rivals put together.
Koster has nearly spent his entire war chest, though. His campaign has only $16,855.34 left on hand, the lowest of the three Democratic contenders.
House Minority Leader Jeff Harris, on the other hand, has far more money left over than either of his rivals. Spending only $289,667.25 in July--about half what state Rep. Margaret Donnelly spent--Harris is holding onto $193,509.51 as the race enters its final week.
Of all the major candidates, Harris is the only one who did not bring in more than $1 million dollars. His fund raising thus far totals $840,590.11.
Donnelly, who raised only $69,001.76 in July, nonetheless outspent Harris this month. She used about half her total contributions in the last three weeks--$529,276.35--buying up airtime and doing voter outreach.
The fourth Democrat in the race, Molly Williams, submitted a one-page campaign finance report, declaring that her campaign committee had neither raised nor spent more than $500.
State Sen. Michael Gibbons is unopposed on the Republican side. He raised $25,785 in July, for a total of $1,128,943.50 in his primary. He maintains a bankroll of $341,631.83.