Saturday, January 26, 2008

Steelman campaign has $331,156.01 in bank

State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who officially began her run for the governor's mansion Saturday, is well equipped financially to compete with the other announced candidate, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.
Campaign discloure documents filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission showed Mrs. Steelman had $331.156.01 in her account at the end of the last quarter, a quarter in which she picked up $74,985 in contributions, including at least $20,475 from the banking industry.
As usual, the banks' lobbying group, the Missouri Bankers Association, circumvented campaign contribution limits, by having a separate political action committee for each region of the state, and then donating the maximum to its favored candidates from each one.
Mrs. Steelman received maximum $1,275 contributions from MBA's Pony Express, Gateway, Ozark, Mark Twain, Truman, and Capital Regions, and $1,000 from the MBA State PAC.
Others in the banking industry contributing the maximum amount to Mrs. Steelman included James and Renee Sangster, UMB Bank, Kansas City; UMB Financial Center, and Kansas City; Missouri Independent Bankers Association.
Others contributing the maximum amount to Mrs. Steelman included Kansas City Power & Light, attorney Aaron Sachs, Springfield; Gordon and Laura Kinne, MedPay, Springfield; MedPay, Springfield; and Elect Nodler Committee, Joplin.
The $331,000 plus in Mrs. Steelman's account provides her with a slight advantage over Kinder, who had $274,589.74 at the end of the last quarter, after spendin nearly a half million dollars, including the return of excess contributions.
Included in that amount was $25,000 apiece David Humphreys of TAMKO and his mother, Ethelmae Humphreys and $8,725 to the CNS Corporation of Charles Norval Sharpe. All three are supporters of educational vouchers.
Among Kinder's contributions during the last quarter were the maximum $1,275 from two of retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield's continuing committees.

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