Chris Koster
JEFFERSON CITY -- Party-switching State Sen. Chris Koster has turned the tables on Democratic front-runner Jeff Harris in the race to succeed Jay Nixon as Missouri Attorney General. Koster easily won the third-quarter fund-raising stakes against State Rep. Margaret Donnelly and House Minority Leader Jeff Harris, the former front-runner, the Columbia Tribune reported yesterday. Former GOP candidate Koster raised about $440,000 between July and September compared to Donnelly's $300,000 and Harris's $93,000. This was a sharp reversal for Harris, who dominated the Democratic AG race until Koster jumped from the GOP in early August, LNL reported. Harris raised over $170,000 in the second quarter compared to then-newcomer Donnelly's $6,500, LNL noted a week earlier. Koster now has over $1 million in the campaign bank, putting him in a strong position to seize the Democratic nomination away from Harris, who has banked $350,000, the Tribune reported. Donnelly's strong third quarter also puts her in play with over $307,000 total. The GOP's Senate President Michael Gibbons looks like being his party's only nominee for the post in next year's election.