Kehoe in fundraising lead in Missouri GOP governor’s race

MISSOURI – FOX 2 is following the money pouring into one of the top races in Missouri: the Republican primary for governor.

Campaign finance records with the Missouri Ethics Commission reveal Lt. Mike Kehoe taking a massive lead in fundraising.

Political consultants say it’s fueling his rise in polls, with the money almost as important as the message.

Kehoe had trailed the front-runner, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, by 15%, 20%, or more in polls over the past year.

Our Missouri Nexstar, The Hill, and Emerson College Poll this month shows Kehoe pulling within 3% of Ashcroft, which is within the margin of error.  

Ashcroft is touting an endorsement from former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee this month.

Third-place candidate in our poll, Missouri State Senator Bill Eigel of St. Charles County, just debuted his first TV ad Tuesday. 

However, Kehoe continues to win big in the fundraising derby.

Records show his “Citizens for Kehoe” campaign committee had $1.74 million on hand for the quarter ending in March, compared to $656,000 for Ashcroft’s campaign committee and $727,000 for Eigel’s committee.

Ashcroft has a huge edge in name recognition from his father, John Ashcroft, the former Missouri Governor, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Attorney General. 

Still, we’ve found fundraising gap is even more dramatic when it comes to the political action committees (PACs) supporting the three candidates.

The Committee for Liberty PAC, which supports Ashcroft, had $1.9 million on hand at the end of the quarter, taking in less than $61,000 so far in June. Its top donors in 2024 are California real estate developer Steven Craig, August Busch III, and Ashcroft’s mother, Janet.

Believe in Life and Liberty (BILL) PAC, which supports Eigel, had a little more than $1 million on hand at the end of the quarter but has raised $445,000 this month. Its top donors this year are St. Louis pro-life activist Joan Langenberg, Trial Lawyers for Justice of Montana and the Edelman-Thompson Law Firm of Kansas City.

American Dream PAC, which supports Kehoe, dwarfs the others, with $4.5 million on hand at the end of last quarter and more than $2 million raised so far this month.

St. Louis Political Financier Rex Sinquefield has donated $1.25 million to the PAC this year.   Herzog Rail and Highway Construction of St. Joseph, Mo., has donated $1 million, and Waycrosse Inc. of Minnesota, the investment arm of agribusiness giant Cargill, has kicked in $500,000. 

Kehoe contends that his lead among small donors tells the real story.

“The fact of the matter is we’ve outraised all seven other opponents in the Republican field by three to one with Missouri dollar donors, small dollar donors (under $2,825), people who say, ‘We like Mike’s message; we think his leadership skill fits what Missouri needs right now,’” he said.

Early absentee voting, with an excuse, began Tuesday. The August 6 primary is now six weeks away.