JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Bill Eigel is generating attention and taking in big-dollar checks in the closing days of the Republican primary for Missouri governor.
The senator from Weldon Spring stirred controversy last week with an ad one Democrat for governor denounced as “racist,†reveling in the publicity. And a political action committee supporting Eigel has raised more than $1.3 million since June 18, helping fuel his election effort in the final stretch.
An Eigel primary win would amount to a massive upset in a race in which Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe has dominated fundraising and where Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was believed to have benefited from wide name recognition.
A spokesman for Ashcroft said Thursday the race had turned into a three-person contest, but the Kehoe campaign has pushed back on the suggestion that Eigel had become a major factor.
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“If this is a three-way race it’s between a thoroughbred, a quarter horse, and a jackass,†said Michael Hafner, spokesman for the Kehoe campaign, in a text message Friday.
Still, on Saturday, former President Donald Trump endorsed all three candidates.
“Choose any one of them — You can’t go wrong!†Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media site.
According to his campaign, Eigel has caught on when it counts most.
“Bill Eigel is the only true conservative in the race for governor, so his message is resonating, and he’s surging at just the right time,†Sophia Shore, Eigel’s campaign manager, said in a statement Thursday.
Jason Cabel Roe, spokesman for Ashcroft, on Thursday acknowledged a shift in the race but said the campaign remained fluid.
“What you’re seeing happening right now is it has turned into a three-person race,†Roe said.
Roe said attacks by the Kehoe campaign against Ashcroft had led to votes going to Eigel.
“As people are reminded of Jay Ashcroft’s record and what his proposals are for governor, those voters are going to come back, but right now, Bill Eigel is the beneficiary of Mike Kehoe’s spending,†Roe said.
Roe called Kehoe a “big-government, chamber-of-commerce Republican†who has “hit a ceiling. I don’t think he has the ability to do any better than the high 20s.â€
Greater ºüÀêÊÓƵ Inc., representing ºüÀêÊÓƵ businesses, on Thursday endorsed Kehoe in the governor’s race, saying he “understands the critical importance of economic growth for ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Missouri.â€
And on Friday, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford of Cass County endorsed Kehoe in the race — two days after embattled Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz endorsed Eigel.
If Kehoe wins the primary and Nov. 5 general election, he is likely to continue many of the policies and follow the tone set by current Gov. Mike Parson, who has supported Kehoe in the race.
Eigel, meanwhile, has gained a reputation as a hard-right firebrand, portraying himself as being embroiled in a battle with a Republican establishment beholden to special interests in the capital city.
Eigel and Ashcroft both criticized Kehoe for skipping a televised debate last week.
The two are also attacking Kehoe for , the Chinese-owned company that benefited from a 2013 change in Missouri law allowing foreign ownership of agricultural land, which Kehoe supported.
Last week, Eigel basked in controversy generated from featuring the candidate alongside a Spanish-language interpreter. Eigel says he will throw “illegals†in jail and send them “back where they came from.â€
“Ay, caramba,†the translator responds, grabbing the sides of his head in apparent shock.
The cartoon ends with the phrase “Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba!†the catchphrase of “Looney Tunes†cartoon mouse Speedy Gonzalez.
Democratic rival and House Minority Leader Crystal Quade called the ad “racist bigotry,†and Kehoe portrayed it as a publicity stunt, saying people on the campaign trail told him the ad upset them.
Eigel used the moment to cast Kehoe as a liberal. A news release by Eigel’s team Thursday said Kehoe was “playing the race card†and that “liberals are demanding TV stations cancel the ad.â€
Eigel’s campaign added Thursday morning that in the past 48 hours, the ad had “generated over SIX MILLION organic views online across all channels. It has already drawn praise and condemnation from various corners of the political world.â€
Kehoe said Eigel was looking for attention.
“Look, Senatore Eigel is trying to do anything he can to get coverage and the more people start telling him — calling it racist or whatever they’re going to call it — he gets to get more media coverage,†Kehoe told the Kansas City Star. “So this is his way of getting his name out there in the earned media world.â€