JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and other state officials are heading to Las Vegas this weekend to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs in their quest for a third Super Bowl victory in five years.
As in past years, the governor’s office says no taxpayer dollars will be involved in the trip, outside of the standard security detail that accompanies him and the first lady.
Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick also is heading west for the matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Fitzpatrick, a licensed pilot, is flying himself to the game.
Parson is a longtime Chiefs season ticketholder and, in August, he got a Chiefs-themed tattoo on his right forearm.
On Friday, he ordered the Missouri State Capitol dome to shine red and gold beginning through Sunday night.
“We’re proud to call the Kansas City Chiefs Missouri’s team, and on behalf of the state of Missouri and all of Chiefs Kingdom, our Capitol will be lighted red and gold as our team seeks another Super Bowl win,†the governor said.
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The trek to Nevada comes as Super Bowl ticket prices have skyrocketed. According to StubHub, the most expensive seats cost nearly $126,000, while the cheapest upper-deck end zone seats are selling for over $6,000.
Those prices are keeping at least one statewide elected official away.
Asked Thursday if he was attending the game, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said, “Are you kidding? I’m way too cheap for that.â€
He will instead watch the game at home with his family.
Parson, meantime, plans to meet with California Gov. Gavin Newsom to exchange signed Super Bowl LVIII memorabilia to be auctioned off, benefitting a charity of their choosing.
Parson’s office is not identifying how the governor and first lady are traveling to the matchup. But, in past years, a political action committee that raises money on his behalf has been tapped for expenses.
Last year, the Uniting Missouri PAC reported paying for over $112,000 in multiple private flights through a company connected to powerful lobbyist Steve Tilley, a former speaker of the Missouri House.
But, those payments do not identify who was on the aircraft or the destinations of those trips.
The PAC did report paying $18,740 in lodging, food and Super Bowl activities in a quarterly report filed in April 2023. For good measure, the rooms they booked in Tempe were at a Missouri-based Drury Hotel.
In 2020, Parson and the PAC ran afoul of state ethics laws after taking a private donor’s plane to see Kansas City’s victorious 2020 Super Bowl appearance in Florida.
The Missouri Ethics Commission fined Uniting Missouri $2,000 after determining there was probable cause to believe the PAC violated state ethics laws by “failing to report the fair market value of two flights within forty-eight hours of receiving the contributions.â€
The fine came after Democrats asked state ethics officials to investigate whether Parson’s trip violated state campaign laws.
Missouri campaign finance laws prohibit certain kinds of coordination between candidates and PACs. The complaint said Parson’s $15,497 flight on a private plane to Miami clearly required coordination with Uniting Missouri.
Since that dust-up, the PAC has continued to bankroll private flights, even though Parson has no public plans to run for office after his term ends in January 2025.