With roughly a year to go before Missouri voters pick a U.S. senator, the two main candidates — incumbent Republican Josh Hawley and Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce — keep building those bank accounts.
In the third reporting period of July 1 through Sept. 30, Federal Election Commission reports show that Kunce raised $1.49 million and spent about $960,000.
Hawley raised about $1.43 million, including about $400,000 from his own political action committee, and spent about $1.2 million.
Hawley holds a big lead, however, in the crucial “cash on handâ€Â category: Hawley has about $4.75 million in the bank, while Kunce is holding $1.72 million.
Cash on hand becomes increasingly important when candidates want to start television advertising blitzes closer to the election, political operatives say.
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Connor Lounsbury, Kunce's senior adviser, noted that Kunce’s current cash on hand total 13 months before the election is a record for a challenger vying for a U.S. Senate seat.
Kunce’s fundraising activity also has made the money gap bigger between the former Marine and his two main Democratic competitors — ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell and state Sen. Karla May of ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Bell raised about $119,000 this past quarter, spent about $166,000 and has $88,000 in cash on hand.
Several noteworthy ºüÀêÊÓƵans recently kicked in contributions to Bell’s campaign.
Build-A-Bear founder Maxine Clark donated another $800, which brought her total of Bell contributions up to $3,300, the maximum a supporter can give to any candidate. Clark’s husband, Robert Fox, also ponied up $800.
David Steward II, chair of Lion Forge animation company and son of World Wide Technology founder David Steward, contributed the maximum $3,300. Also making the maximum $3,300 contribution was longtime political player Joyce Aboussie of ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Former Gov. Bob Holden contributed $250 to Bell’s campaign.
May’s fundraising activity was more limited than Bell’s. She raised $15,000, spent about $1,000 and has about $14,000 in cash on hand.
Columbia activist December Harmon raised about $9,300, spent $8,000 and has $1,300 on hand.
Independent candidate Jared Young, of Joplin, raised about $171,000, including a $100,000 personal loan he made to his own campaign. He spent $112,000 and has about 60,000 cash on hand.