JEFFERSON CITY — A Republican challenging incumbent Attorney General Andrew Bailey is raking in major contributions from national conservative figures ahead of the Aug. 6 GOP primary.
A committee working to elect Will Scharf, a former federal prosecutor who is running against Bailey, has netted nearly $3 million since last week from just three large donors, according to Missouri Ethics Commission records.
Last week, Scharf’s PAC received $500,000 from the Washington, D.C.-based Club for Growth Action, and another $1 million from the Vienna, Virginia-based Concord Fund.
The Concord Fund Leonard Leo, co-founder of the Federalist Society who has donated to Scharf’s campaign directly in the past.
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On Wednesday, Scharf’s PAC accepted an additional $1.4 million — this time from billionaire investor Paul Singer, who recently supported former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley’s presidential bid.
The large checks highlight the support Scharf has received from national Republican figures. He is running against Bailey, who was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson after Eric Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022.
Bailey’s campaign said Scharf lacked in-state support.
“Wall Street is rallying today but it’s around ‘Wall Street Willy,’ whose PAC is still searching far and wide from St. Joseph to Cape Girardeau for a single Missouri donor to contribute to them this year,†Michael Hafner, spokesman for Bailey, said Thursday. He added Missourians won’t go along with “Wall Street buying the attorney general’s office.â€
Scharf pointed to support Bailey’s campaign has received from members of Missouri’s legal cannabis industry and trial attorneys.
Last week, Bailey’s political action committee took $100,000 from Kansas plaintiff’s law firm Ketchmark & McCreight. The Post-Dispatch reported last year that a co-owner of a marijuana company under state scrutiny hosted a fundraiser for Bailey.
“While my opponent is being supported by liberal trial lawyers, pot dealers, and special interests, we’re proud to be supported by conservatives in Missouri and across the country,†Scharf said in a statement.
While committees must report contributions over $5,000 within two days, full fundraising reports for the first quarter of the year are not due until later this month.
Since Missouri voters limited campaign contributions in 2016, it has become common practice for political action committees, which may still accept unlimited funds, to fundraise for candidates.
Bailey’s Liberty and Justice PAC reported having $1.2 million on hand at the end of last year, while Scharf’s Club for Growth Action–Missouri Federal Committee had over $604,000 at the time.
The attorney general’s traditional campaign account, Bailey for Missouri, had $531,000 at the end of the year and Scharf’s traditional campaign account, Citizens for Scharf, had $847,000 on hand.