Few local politicians are enjoying a better July than former state Sen. Bob Onder, who is competing for the U.S. House seat representing Missouri's 3rd Congressional District.
Earlier this month, the Lake Saint Louis Republican landed the coveted endorsement from聽Donald Trump for the Aug. 6 primary race, no minor asset in the heavily Republican district.
In turn, that prompted state Rep. Justin Hicks to drop out of the GOP primary. Hicks, also from Lake Saint Louis, was the strongest candidate competing with Onder for St. Charles County votes.
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And now, the most recent campaign reports from the Federal Election Commission show that Onder has more than three times the money in the bank than his main competitor, former state Sen. Kurt Schaefer of Columbia.
As of June 30, Onder鈥檚 campaign reported having almost $679,000 cash on hand, a total that includes a $500,000 loan from Onder鈥檚 own finances. Aside from the loan, Onder has raised about $418,000.
Schaefer鈥檚 current war-chest balance is about $204,000, having spent little from the roughly $235,000 he has raised so far on the campaign trail.
Schaefer still has a valuable asset in the endorsement of retiring聽U.S. Rep. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, of St. Elizabeth, who is stepping down after eight terms.
The district spans from St. Charles County to the Lake of the Ozarks, and the victor in the GOP primary also is favored to win the Nov. 5 general election.
Other primary hopefuls are Chadwick Bicknell and Arnie Dienoff, both of O鈥橣allon; Kyle Bone, of De Soto; and Bruce Bowman, of Jefferson City.