Webber outpaces Rowden in fundraising for 19th District Senate seat
Friday, October 16, 2015 Columbia Daily Tribune
Democratic state Rep. Stephen Webber raised more than twice as much as Republican state Rep. Caleb Rowden in the race for Boone County’s state Senate seat during the last three months and held almost five times as much cash as Rowden on Sept. 30.
Campaigns filed quarterly campaign finance reports Thursday. In the only other local race where opposing candidates filed reports, Democratic candidate Susan McClintic took in $19,120 for the 47th House District seat, exceeding the total for incumbent Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, by almost $7,000.
Webber and Rowden want to replace state Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, who must leave office because of term limits. Webber and Rowden have estimated their campaigns each will have to spend about $1.5 million by November 2016.
Webber raised $118,110 in the three months ending Sept. 30, bringing his total for the campaign to $388,901. Including funds left over from previous campaigns, he had $402,850 in the bank.
“This is our third quarter of really working on Senate fundraising, and the community has continued to support me, and I am excited about that,” Webber said.
Webber’s campaign raised about half its total from political action committees, businesses with legislative interests and fellow Democrats. The largest donors were the carpenter’s union, $10,000, and Ameren Missouri, $7,831. Webber, an attorney, also took in about $14,000 from lawyers living outside the district.
Rowden raised $52,665 in the quarter, lifting his total since the 2014 election to $109,219. He had $85,020 on hand Sept. 30.
More than $45,000 of Rowden’s receipts were from political action committees, businesses with legislative interests and other Republicans. His largest contributions were $7,500 from Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, and $5,001 from Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown.
Rowden did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Webber supports limits on campaign contributions but will not set a personal limit, he said.
“When we have people running around writing half-million dollar checks, we have to change the system, but one person unilaterally putting caps on themselves isn’t going to work,” he said.
There will be contested races in at least three of the five House districts representing Boone County. In two, the 44th District and the 46th District, only Democrats have been campaigning long enough to file a quarterly report.
In the 44th District, Hallsville alderman Tom Pauley, a Democrat, reported $34.41 in the bank. Hallsville Mayor Cheri Reisch is seeking the Republican nomination.
Martha Stevens has been raising money since early in the year for her bid to replace Webber in the 46th District. She raised $6,088 during the quarter and had $21,285 on hand. Don Waterman is seeking the GOP nomination.
Lawmakers elected from the two districts so far uncontested for 2016, Reps. Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, and Caleb Jones, R-Columbia, were not idle during the quarter. Kendrick, of the 45th District, took in $8,255 and had $19,015 on hand. Jones, who represents the 50th District, raised $62,900 and had $240,938 on hand.
McClintic, who is making her first bid for office, said she feels good about her chances in the district Basye won narrowly in 2014.
“The Boone County area has always had great representation from Democrats, our state leaders are Democrats and I think we will continue to see that,” she said. “People are ready for a change.”
Basye raised $12,255 and had $13,318 on hand. His total includes $5,360 from political action committees and businesses with interests before the legislature. His largest donation, $1,000, came from Noranda, an aluminum maker in southeast Missouri.
Basye said he does not feel he is behind because of the difference in fundraising. “I am not worried about what Susan is doing,” he said. “I am going to do what I am doing. I got a late start on fundraising so I am not worried at all.”
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