JEFFERSON CITY — Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine pumped another $3.3 million into her campaign to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt in the most recent fundraising quarter.
The wealthy political newcomer, however, still trailed Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt in fundraising as the two march toward a Nov. 8 showdown at the polls, Federal Election Commission filings show.
Campaign finance reports filed in recent days show Valentine, a 65-year-old nurse and an heir to the Anheuser-Busch brewing fortune, has loaned her campaign a total of $6.3 million since entering the race in a state where Republicans have dominated elections in recent years.
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In the three months ending Sept. 30, Valentine’s campaign has spent $4.6 million in an attempt to chip away at the GOP dominance.
By contrast, Schmitt, who is leading in the polls, spent $1.2 million.
And Schmitt, 47, entered the final month with a significant money advantage. He had $1.2 million in his campaign checkbook as of Sept. 30, compared with $349,000 for Valentine.
Valentine campaign spokesman Jacob Long downplayed the money gap Monday.
“We will have the resources we need to communicate with Missouri voters. No matter how much Eric Schmitt spends, he can’t hide his extreme record of voting to allow Chinese Communists to buy Missouri farmland, posing both food security and national security risks, and stripping millions of women of their freedom to make their own private health care decisions,†Long said.
Schmitt, who has dubbed Valentine the “heiress,†criticized his opponent’s largely self-funded campaign in a statement released over the weekend.
“The Limousine Liberal Trudy Busch Valentine thinks she can buy this seat and ignore the needs of working families,†Schmitt said.
Schmitt reported that he had his most successful fundraising quarter, raising a total of $2.5 million when his personal campaign account is combined with two political action committees formed to help his bid for Blunt’s seat.
He added nearly $1.5 million to his campaign, while the Missouri Schmitt Victory Committee also added $500,000. Another supporting campaign, Save Missouri Values, raised $508,000.
Schmitt, of Glendale, previously served as state treasurer and as a member of the Missouri Senate.
Among donors to Schmitt is the Senate Conservatives Fund, a PAC founded by former South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, which has contributed total of more than $47,000 since the race began.
Among major expenses was $2.8 million to Ax Media for advertising. The company is part of the Kansas City-based Axiom Strategies founded by political consultant Jeff Roe.
Valentine, a Ladue resident, reported a net worth between $69.4 million and $219.4 million, with annual income between $4.3 million and $30.7 million.
Along with the money she’s contributed, Valentine’s campaign reported $5,000 checks from a number of labor unions, including ironworkers and aerospace workers.
Among her expenses was a $24,000 check to GPS Impact, a political consulting firm for advertising. Another $15,000 went to ºüÀêÊÓƵ-based MO Political Consulting, which has run campaigns for Democrats, including ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
Like other Republicans, Schmitt has made the economy a centerpiece of his message amid Democrats’ attempts to make the overturning of the Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision a key issue.
“Given the disaster that is the Biden administration, it is imperative that the Republicans take back the Senate so we can restore common sense to DC,†Schmitt said. “This wide support demonstrates Missourians are ready for a GOP-led Senate to lower prices, make America energy independent, and hold the Biden administration accountable.â€
Valentine touted endorsements Saturday by two Republicans: former U.S. Rep. Tom Coleman, who represented northwest Missouri from 1973 to 1996, and former state Sen. Bob Johnson of Lee’s Summit, saying their support shows she can reach across the aisle to find compromise.
“I don’t care if you are Republican, Democrat, or independent. You are a Missourian and you come first. Unlike my opponent, I can’t be bought and will be nobody’s Senator but yours,†Valentine said.