JEFFERSON CITY — Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe’s campaign extended an already commanding lead in the fundraising race for governor, reporting a $500,000 check from a Minnesota organization Thursday.
The money from the WXCLC Inc. in Minneapolis brought Kehoe’s American Dream political action committee closer to the $5 million mark in his bid to take over for Gov. Mike Parson against Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Sen. Bill Eigel for the Republican nomination in August.
End-of-year reports filed this week show Kehoe raising nearly $260,000 in the most recent fundraising quarter in his personal committee and another $4.3 million in his affiliated PAC.
By comparison, Ashcroft ended 2023 with $2.2 million across two committees. Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, has $1.6 million in his two campaign accounts.
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“Missourians are continuing to invest their hard-earned dollars in Lt. Governor Kehoe because he is the only candidate with the character and experience necessary to lead Missouri forward. He will continue to outwork every candidate in this race,†said Derek Coats, Kehoe’s campaign manager.
Thursday’s contribution from an organization linked to agribusiness giant Cargill is among the largest contributions Kehoe has received.
Along with money linked to the heirs of the Cargill founders, Kehoe has been endorsed by a number of Missouri’s top business, farming and police organizations. His most recent endorsement came from the Missouri State Troopers Association.
Ashcroft, who is banking on his name recognition as the son of former governor and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, reported receiving $50,000 from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s PAC. Ashcroft’s Committee for Liberty PAC also received $1,500 from Kansas City attorney Edward Greim, who Ashcroft hired last year to help defend a lawsuit against his office.
Eigel, a leader of the hard-line conservative Freedom Caucus in the Senate, trumpeted his fundraising haul as he seeks to run to the right of Ashcroft.
“Our campaign is receiving unprecedented grassroots support, and on a financial level, we have now surpassed Jay Ashcroft in cash on hand,†Eigel said in a statement. “My message is this: I am the reckoning that will take on the Swamp. I am not the corporatists’ choice. I wasn’t born into a political monarchy. I’ve waged war against the special interest machine in Jefferson City and am despised for it. When I’m governor, there will be hell to pay.â€
Eigel’s PAC continues to collect small contributions from out-of-state donors, according to the most recent filing with the Missouri Ethics Committee.
The Post-Dispatch reported in September that on at least one occasion, Eigel’s BILL PAC sent out an email solicitation urging Republicans to stand behind former President Donald Trump amid his legal troubles. But instead of giving to Trump, money would go to Eigel’s campaign, the email said in small type.
The practice by Eigel’s fundraising vendor Virginia-based Targeted Victory, made headlines after the Trump campaign warned the firm and others not to use Trump’s name, image and likeness in fundraising pitches, Politico in March.
On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, raised more than $208,000 in her candidate committee, Citizens for Crystal Quade. Combined with her PAC, Quade had more than $300,000 on hand as of Jan. 1.
Businessman Mike Hamra of Springfield ended the year with more than $671,000 in his fundraising account, with much of that coming from himself.
Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-Shrewsbury, who recently switched from the attorney general race to the governor’s race, reported having $2,200 in her account.
This story was updated Feb. 19, 2024 to correct the name of the donor