Koster, Martin seek attorney general's seat

By James R. Campbell

Nevada Daily Mail

Democratic incumbent Attorney General Chris Koster was way ahead of Republican rival Ed Martin in fundraising, leading by $3,767,047 to Martin's $794,078 in their post-Aug. 7 party primary campaign finance reports to the Missouri Ethics Commission in Jefferson City.

Koster had spent $1,244,270 and began his general election race with $2,454,689 in the bank, while Martin expended $503,245 and had $193,597 on Sept. 6, the candidates said.

Koster was a Republican state senator representing Vernon County in the 31st Senate District from 2005 to '09, when he switched parties to run statewide for attorney general and beat Republican Mike Gibbons, according to references.

Koster lives at Harrisonville, where he was Cass County prosecutor for 10 years prior to running for the Senate. He is a St. Louis native.

Koster is running on a platform of fighting urban crime and the spread of methamphetamines, prosecuting fraudulent Medicaid providers, enforcing environmental laws and "cracking down on violations of workers' rights," his Web site said.

Martin is a St. Louis attorney who lost a 2010 congressional race by 46.7 to 48.9 percent to 3rd District Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan. Martin was Gov. Matt Blunt's chief of staff from 2006 to '09.

Married and the father of four children, he was a clerk to Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Justice Pasco Bowman in Kansas City in 2001-'02 and then joined the Bryan Cave law firm in St. Louis, specializing in commercial litigation, according to his Web site.

Martin formed his own law firm in 2004 to practice litigation and small business law.

The Ethics Commission said Koster's top contributions are $100,000 from Simmons Attorneys at Law in East Alton, Ill.; $50,000, Sam Fox, chairman of the Harbour Group, St. Louis; $31,000, Missouri Automobile Dealers Association Interested in Government; $25,000, Carey & Danis law firm, St. Louis; $23,500, Missouri Health Care Association; $15,000, Reliant Care Management Co., St. Louis; and $10,000 each, KCS Rail State Political Action Committee, Kansas City; St. Louis attorney Martin Green; Lewis & Clark Regional Leadership Fund, St. Charles; and Cornerstone Health Care, Rogers, Ark.

Other donations to Koster were $8,000 from Union Pacific Railroad Co. in Kansas City; $7,000, Dupont Corp., Wilmington, Del.; $6,986, University Square Building, St. Louis; $5,005, University City attorney Jeffrey Hartnett; $5,000 each, Frontenac attorney Bob Blitz; AFSCME Missouri People Public Employees; and Forest Hills Properties, Washington, Mo.; $4,500, Killian Construction, Springfield; $4,000, Missouri Chamber of Commerce PAC; $3,570, Bommarito Olds, Izusu, Ellisville; $3,500, Associ-ation of Missouri Electric Cooperatives; and $3,250, University of Phoenix-affiliated Apollo Group, Phoenix, Ariz.

Koster got $3,000 each from Sheet Metal Workers Local 2 in Kansas City; and Laclede Political Action Committee, St. Louis; and $2,500 each, Missouri American Water Employees, St. Louis; Realtors PAC, Columbia; Fred Weber Inc. heavy industrial, highway construction and solid waste services contractor, Maryland Heights; Ameren Corp. energy marketing; Microbilt Corp. risk management, Princeton, N.J.; and Michael Morton, owner of Central Arkansas Nursing Center, Fort Smith, Ark.

Most of Koster's expenditures were to Hickman Analytics of Chevy Chase, Md., and Hilltop Public Solutions and Precision Network consultants of Washington, D.C.

Martin's main contributions were $15,600 from Missourians for Matt Blunt; $10,000, Lewis & Clark Regional Leadership Fund, St. Charles; $7,900, Drury Development Corp. hotels and restaurants, St. Louis; $6,500, Warren Keinath, St. Louis; $5,000, CNS Corp. securities and commodities exchange services, Kansas City; $3,000, Pauline Keinath, St. Louis; $2,500, James McDonnell, St. Louis; $2,000, Richard and Kathleen Baalman, St. Louis; and $1,500, Milton Rudi, St. Louis.

Martin accepted $1,000 each from William Holekamp of St. Louis; Eric Strange, Accenture executive, St. Louis; Porlier Outdoor Advertising, Foristell; Blaine Luetkemeyer for Congress, St. Elizabeth; St. Louis auto dealer David Sinclair; Robert Nichols, Lake St. Louis; and John Shields, Schaffer Manufacturing executive, St. Louis.

Martin's expenditures were primarily to Something Else Strategies of Easley, S.C., Mason Enterprises consulting of St. Louis, Smart Media Group of Alexandria, Va., and Seen Read Heard Consulting of Clayton.