Akin, McCaskill raise big bucks for Senate race

Nevada Daily Mail

If Republican Todd Akin wins a seat in the U.S. Senate on Nov. 6, he will apparently have to do it with less money than his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

In his July 18 report to the Federal Election Commission in Washington, Akin said he had garnered $1,874,430 in contributions from individuals and $338,031 from political action committees to total $2,229,189.

The St. Louis congressman started his race against McCaskill after winning the Aug. 7 primary over well-funded opponents John Brunner and Sarah Steelman with $531,559 in cash on hand, he told the FEC.

McCaskill reported raising $7,837,933 from individuals and $1,555,358 from PACs, spending $7,689,961 and starting the fall contest with $3,465,846. Federal candidates are prohibited from accepting more than $10,000 annually from any individual or political action committee.

Akin's top contributions include a total of $15,000 from David, Judy, Julia and Robert Burns of the Patriot Machine Co. in St. Charles; and $10,000 each, American Society of Anesthesiologists, Park Ridge, Ill; Anheuser-Busch PAC, St. Louis; Chesterfield attorney Joseph Cordell and Yvonne Cordell; Edward Gershenson of Gershenson Construction and his wife Lisa, Wildwood; Honeywell International engineering-aerospace PAC, Washington; American Crystal Sugar Co., Moorhead, Minn.; General Dynamics Voluntary PAC, Falls Church, Va.; Allen Trucking, Dahlgreen, Ill.; Express Scripts, Washington, D.C.; Boeing PAC, Arlington, Va.; Employees of Northrup Grumman, Los Angeles; and Enterprise Holdings PAC, St. Louis.

Other donations to Akin are $9,000 from John and Janell Brunner of Frontenac; and Emerson Electric Responsible Government Fund, St. Louis; $7,500, American College of Radiology PAC, Washington, D.C.; $7,000, American Maritime Officers, Dania Beach, Fla.; and $5,000 each, DOVES general contractor, Clarington, Ohio; James and Jessie Caudill, Sacramento, Ky.; Arch Coal, St. Louis; Randall Cecil, Belmont, Ohio; Boldt Brothers, St. Louis; Scott and Charlotte Buerge, Nevada; August Busch III, St. Louis; Thomas Falbo, CEO of Montgomery Equipment, Montgomery, W.Va.; William French, Chesterfield; Balch & Bingham law firm, Birmingham, Ala; AT&T Federal PAC, Dallas, Texas; Family Research Council, Washington; Flir Systems infrared cameras Employee PAC, Wilsonville, Ore.; National Beer Wholesalers, Alexandria, Va.; BAE Systems USA defense and security products, Arlington, Va.; Growth & Prosperity PAC, Birmingham, Ala.; Edward Jones PAC, St. Louis; and Force Protection armored military vehicles, Arlington.

Other contributions to the 65-year-old congressman are $4,800 from Town and Country dentist Mark Eidelman; $3,500 each, Ronald Carter, Town and Country; and the Monsanto Citizenship Fund, St. Louis; $3,000, General Electric PAC, Washington; and $2,500 each, Steven Busch, Krey Distributing beer wholesaler, St. Louis; and David Furnell, Sedalia.

McCaskill's contributions through July 18 included a total of $25,000 from Carolyn, Elisabeth, Laurence, Renee and Robert Belfer of New York City; $10,000 each, International Union of Operating Engineers, Washington; Centene Corp. Medicaid managed care company, St. Louis; American Postal Workers Union, Washington; Longleaf Pine PAC for Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina; Machinists' Non-Partisan Political League, Upper Marlboro, Md.; AMEREN Federal power and energy PAC, Washington; DANPAC for Sen. Daniel Inouye, Honolulu, Hawaii; Wylie Aitken, Santa Ana, Calif., attorney, and Elizabeth Aitken; American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, Washington; American Federation of Teachers, Washington; and $8,000 each, Fluor Corp. engineering and construction, Irving, Texas; and American Sugar Crystal Co., Moorhead, Minn.

Giving McCaskill $7,500 each were the Democrat-Republican Independent Voter Education PAC of Washington; Cozen O'Connor PAC, Philadelphia, Pa.; and Joshua and Anita Bekenstein, Wayland, Mass; $7,000, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Hanover, Md.; $6,000 each, American Hospital Association, Washington; and Kansas City attorney Timothy Becker; $5,500, Action Committee for Rural Electrification, Jefferson City; and $5,000 each, Hallmark Cards PAC, Kansas City; Carpenters' Legislative Improvement Committee, Washington; Express Scripts, St. Louis; Facebook PAC, Washington; AFLAC PAC, Columbus, Ga.; Matthew Blank, Showtime Networks, New York City; American Veterinary Medical Association, Washington; Anheuser-Busch Co., St. Louis; Leonard Blavatnik, chairman of Access Industries industrial group, New York City; Robert Bixby, president of Kansas City Life Insurance Co.; Dr. John Bedwinek, Kirkwood; Michael Angelides, St. Louis attorney; and Andrew Beck, D.E. Shaw investment company, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Other donations to the 59-year-old senator are $4,800 each from Baltimore attorney Peter Angelos and Marion Battaglia, Leawood, Kan.; $4,500, Air Line Pilots Association PAC, Washington; $4,000, Boilermakers-Blacksmiths Campaign Assistance Fund, Kansas City; $3,500 each, Bank of America Federal PAC, Washington; and American Cable Association, Pittsburgh, Pa.; $3,000 each, Theodore Beckett, Prairie Village, Kan., attorney; Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan and Arnoff attorneys, Cleveland, Ohio; and Kelly Bingel, government relations, Washington; and $2,500 each, Caesars Entertainment, Las Vegas, Nev.; Roy Black, Miami, Fla., attorney; Nikesh Arora, chief business officer, Google Inc., Atherton, Calif.; John Bamerd, Alton, Ill., attorney; David Bamper, Edwardsville, Ill., attorney; and Ben Barnes, Austin, Texas.