Rep. Ted Hoskins, D-St. Louis did not have to beat the bushes to find donors for his re-election campaign. All he had to do was knock on retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield's door.
The impact that Sinquefield's money is going ot play on this year's election has not been determined, but there is no doubt the educational voucher supporter is going to spend whatever it takes to get his way.
According to his campaign disclosure report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Hoskins received $21,875 in contributions during the first three months of 2008. Of that total, $20,050 came in the form of maximum $325 contributions from 62 of the political action committees Sinquefield formed late last year to skirt Missouri campaign contribution limits.
Randy,
ReplyDeleteI think you might be misleading your readers with your constant reporting of "Sinquefield" contributions. The contribution reports show that a pac makes a contribution, and you report that Sinquefield made it himself. I know it's a subtle difference, but it is a difference. If Sinquefield started a pac to raise money for "voucher" supporters, then the people who donated to the pac gave the money, not the founder. While he may have given seed cash to these pacs, the contributors who support school choice legislation actually gave the money to politicians, not Sinquefield himself, right? think you're demonizing the pacs because they were founded by a billionaire, and you're ignoring the fact that these pacs are very successful at raising money from the people because they support something that many feel will improve education overall.
I will be watching when these committees file their reports to see if anyone other than Sinquefield contributed money or if all or nearly all of the money came from him. No matter how you look at it, it is still a way one man can game the system so he has more of a voice than you or I.
ReplyDeleteI have not been misleading my readers.