Ellen Nichols puts another $100,000 into her campaign; Medical PAC contributes another $100,000 to PAC supporting Nichols

One day after Ellen Nichols put $100,000 of her own money into her 32nd District State Senate campaign, saying she had to do because her primary opponent, Sen. Jill Carter accepted money from gambling and labor interests, the Stand For Truth PAC that supports Nichols' candidacy received a $100,000 contribution from the Missouri State Medical Association PAC.

The source of the money from the medical association PAC won't be available until the PAC files its quarterly disclosure report in October.

In its most recent report, which was filed July 7, the PAC contributed the maximum $2,400 to the Nichols campaign but ended the quarter with only $65,483 in the bank, indicating the $100,000 likely came from a single source and was designated for Nichols' support PAC.

Nichols loaned her campaign $250,000 earlier.

The following news release was issued by the Nichols campaign Thursday:

Dr. Ellen Nichols announced today that she is contributing $100,000 of her own money to her campaign for State Senate, responding to a surge of $217,000 in out-of-district special interest money that has poured into Sen. Jill Carter's committees in just the last two weeks.

Missouri Ethics Commission records show that of the $635,239 raised by Carter's two committees — Friends of Jill Carter For Senate and her personal Show Me Values PAC — $496,849, or 78 cents of every dollar, came from PACs, corporations, and special interest groups rather than individual voters.

No industry has given Carter more than gambling. Her single largest business donor is an Illinois video gambling company, that has written her PAC $55,000 since February — including two $25,000 checks in June alone. Close behind are St. Louis labor unions: the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council PAC gave $50,000 on June 30 — the largest single check in her file — four days after the Laborers PAC gave $10,000. None of it came from Jasper or Newton County.

“I have been humbled by the support of my fellow Republicans, my friends, and my former patients,” Nichols said. “But there is no way the citizens of Joplin and Newton County can write checks fast enough to match $217,000 in out-of-district special interest money in two weeks. "So I'm investing in my own campaign to make sure voters hear my vision for this district — freezing property taxes, giving parents a real say in their children's education, and protecting the unborn and private property rights." Just like President Trump funded his own campaign, I will never be beholden to special interests. The only people I'll be beholden to are the voters of this district.”

The gambling money arrives as Carter publicly distances herself from the industry. Appearing on KSN/KODE's “On the Record” this week, Carter said of the video gambling machines her son noticed at a gas station: “Gambling, I'm not a proponent of gambling either. I think as a Christian, that's not something that we really want infiltrated in our communities.”

Her voting record says otherwise. On April 5, 2023, Carter voted for Senate Amendment 11 to Senate Bill 30 — the amendment that would have legalized video lottery terminals statewide and authorized up to three VLT machines per location in truck stops, gas stations, and other retail establishments. The vote is recorded on page 939 of the Senate Journal.

“Jill Carter is in trouble because voters are learning her record — votes to fund billionaires' stadiums, to keep parents out of their kids' education, and against cutting property taxes,” Nichols said. “Now an Illinois gambling company just sent $55,000 to keep a pro-gambling friend in the legislature. Voters can look at the checks and look at her votes and draw their own conclusions.”