Auditor trailing potential challengers in campaign money

By David A. Lieb

Associated Press Writer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two potential Republican nominees for state auditor each reported more campaign cash than Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill -- a fact that might shed as much light on McCaskill's plans as it does the Republicans' prospects.

Campaign finance reports filed Friday with the state Ethics Commission show McCaskill's auditor campaign committee had $68,578 on hand as of the end of June.

Republican state Rep. Jack Jackson of Wildwood, who already has announced his candidacy for auditor, reported $70,251 on hand. Republican state Sen. John Loudon of Ballwin, who has formed a statewide candidacy committee for a potential auditor's bid, reported $109,759 on hand.

McCaskill, who previously had said she would seek re-election to a third term, is instead considering challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Talent in the 2006 elections. The U.S. Senate and state auditor contests are the only two statewide offices on the ballot.

Candidates cannot transfer money from state campaign committees to federal ones. So any money McCaskill would raise for her auditor committee would be useless if she were to run for Senate.

''As she considers running for Senate, she's more or less suspended her fund-raising,'' McCaskill spokesman Glenn Campbell said.

McCaskill reported $21,625 in receipts during the past three months.

Jackson reported a similar amount -- $20,202 in receipts. But one-third of that came from himself.

Loudon was the only one mounting much of a fund-raising effort. He reported $59,420 in contributions, nearly all of which arrived after he started making fund-raising calls June 25.

''Getting $60,000 in five days is really encouraging,'' said Loudon, adding that ''they're contributing based on the fact I'm probably running for auditor.''

McCaskill's auditor committee still reports more than $1.6 million in debt, a carry-over of money she and her husband loaned to her unsuccessful 2004 gubernatorial bid.

The victor in that race, Republican Gov. Matt Blunt, reported Friday that he had paid off the remaining debt from his campaign. That included $6,159 to Mike Kehoe Ford of Jefferson City for chartering a tour bus that got damaged during the campaign, and $1,203 in fuel costs to Jefferson City Oil Co. Blunt recently appointed Kehoe to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

Blunt's final expenses also included $4,590 in phone bills, $1,500 to Public Pulse Research in Chesterfield and $32,983 to Capital Enhancement Inc. of St. Louis, which helped raise money to retire the debt.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and State Treasurer Sarah Steelman also reported lingering debts from last year's campaign -- Kinder, $68,142; Steelman, $237,811.

Blunt was the only statewide officeholder to aggressively raise money for the 2008 elections. His campaign released totals Thursday showing he raised $847,436 during the three-month period and had $750,477 on hand.

Details released Friday show Blunt's campaign expenses included $9,528 on chartered aircraft, continuing his practice of using private planes to fly on gubernatorial business.