Here's how these Missouri candidates are spending contributions

Where are candidates receiving money and how is it being spent as the Aug. 6 primary election and Nov. 6 general election approach?

The Tribune looked through the most recent campaign finance reports from the Missouri Ethics Commission to find out, focusing on candidates who will have contested races in August and November for the Missouri Senate, Missouri House and Boone County elected officials.

This article references individual and committee itemized contributions during the reporting period, but does not include total aggregate contributions. Some individuals may make multiple single donations, such as monthly. Here is what July quarterly finance reports said:

Missouri Senate

Republican James Coyne, selected by the Missouri Senate District 19 committee after Chuck Basye withdrew following a cancer diagnosis , has not raised or expended $500, per a limited activity candidate committee statement filed July 10.

Democrat Stephen Webber on the other hand has raised $542,409 this election cycle toward the November election. He started the reporting period with $368,934 in cash on hand. After $36,813 in monetary contributions and $28,060 in expenses, was left $377,688 in cash on hand. He has no outstanding debt.

Individual monetary or in-kind contributions generally ranged from $4 to $500.

He received a $1,000 donation from the nonpartisan Home Political Action Committee from April 3. This PAC has made contributions to both Republican and Democratic candidates. Majority Forward PAC made a $1,176 donation; the nonpartisan, but mostly Republican supporting POL PAC gave a $1,000 contribution; $2,400 came from Spire PAC, Missouri Pork PAC gave $1,000, Missouri Criminal Defense Lawyers PAC provided $2,000 and $,2400 from the Missouri National Education Association PAC.

Unions Roofers Local 20 in Raytown, Pipefitters Local 533 in Kansas City, United Steelworkers District 11 from Burlingame, Kansas, all contributed $1,000, while Communication Workers of America PAC contributed $400.

St. Louis homemaker Amy Cordes also contributed $1,000. This was her only donation so far. A search notes her possible development chair role with Show-Me Integrity.

Most of Webber's expenses went toward taxes, accounting and web services, and campaign worker payroll.

Missouri House

House District 44

Two Republicans, Bryce Beal and John Martin , seek the Missouri House District 44 nomination in August. Whoever wins will face off against Democrat Dave Raithel in November.

Beal, an assistant Missouri Attorney General, has raised $37,792.07 this election cycle. At the start of the reporting period he had $12,739 in cash on hand. After monetary contributions of $14,524 and expenses of $14,146, he was left with $13,118. He has no outstanding debt.

Individual donations ranged from $75 to roughly $2,000. Topline individual contributors of $1,000 or more came from Izzy Assouline ($1,900) and Serge Popov ($2,000), who are both listed as students from St. Louis; Cash, a lawyer, and Evie Nickerson ($2,066) from Scotsdale, Arizona; and $1,385 from the AuBuchon Law Firm in Jefferson City. Beal also made in-kind donations to his candidate committee, bringing his aggregate donations to approximately $5,169.

PAC contributions came from HBS MO State PAC ($500), Missouri Organization of Defense Laywers PAC ($2,000), Missouri Insurance Coalition PAC ($1,000), CN-MO PAC ($500), Bold PAC ($250), and Missouri Realtors PAC ($1,000).

Expenses have gone toward political campaign consulting, bank fees, printing, signs, a booth at the Boone County Fair and mailings. He had to return $2,000 from a nonallowed contribution, the report notes. It does not elaborate.

Martin, a Boone County business owner, has raised $58,729 this election cycle. He had $32,252 at the start of the reporting period. After monetary contributions of $16,245 and expenses of $24,160.79, he was left with $24,336.28. He has $22,000 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions ranged from $80 to $2,000. Topline contributors were Midway Little General Store owner Ustav Patel ($1,000), Lighthouse Car Washes owners Jeff and Christine Pfannenstiel ($1,000), Targetemasters owner Lisle Moore ($1,300), Midway USA owner Brenda Potterfield ($2,000), Just Jeff's owners Jeff and Nicole Spencer ($1,000), Grant and Shannon Drewing of Drewing Automotive ($1,500), Property manager Robert Hill ($1,000), and Greg Logsdon, self-employed in medical sales ($2,000).

He received a roughly $69 in-kind donation from Missouri Realtors PAC and $1,000 monetary from the Builder's Association PAC.

Expenses mostly went toward event booth fees, mailings, yard signs, candidate merchandise and other advertising.

Raithel has raised $18,264 so far this election cycle. He had $8,155.80 on hand at the start of the reporting period. After $2,850 in monetary contributions and $5,482.83 in expenses, he was left with $5,522.97 on hand.

Individual contributions mostly were monthly $100 contributions from a local supporter. He also received $1,000 from the Boone County Democratic Party and $273 from the House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Expenses mostly went to advertising, mailings and yard signs.

House District 47

Republican John Potter notes he has raised $2,194.36 this election cycle. He had no cash cash on hand at the start of the reporting period, and after the contribution and $2,144.05 in expenses he is left with $50.31 toward the November election. He has no outstanding debt.

Individual contributions ranged from $25 to $400, along with $896.31 from his now terminated Potter for School Board candidate committee. Potter contributed $335 to his own candidate committee.

Expenses mostly went toward creating campaign materials, such as cards, stickers, shirts and hats.

Incumbent Democrat Adrian Plank has raised $44,373 so far this election cycle. He started the reporting period with $16,857 in cash on hand. After $17,230 in contributions and $9,501 in expenses, he was left with $24,586.23. He has no outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from nearly $2 to $500.

PAC and other committee contributions have come from Laborers International Union of North America 955 PAC ($500), Access MO ($2,0000), Boone County Democratic Committee ($1,000), Electrical Workers Voluntary PAC ($400), Glaziers Architectural Metal and Glassworkers Local 513 ($250), Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local No. 1 ($250), International Union of Operating Engineers Local 513 Political Fund ($1,000), International Brotherhood of Electric Worker Local 124 Voluntary PAC ($2,000), Missouri National Educators Association PAC ($2,000), Missouri State Teacher's Association Legislative Impact Committee ($400) and Plasterers and Cement Masons Local Union 518 PAC ($250).

Expenses mostly were for email services, marketing, office supplies, and postage.

House District 50

Democrats Jeff Basinger and Gregg Bush are vying the party's nomination in the Aug. 6 primary. Whoever wins that will face off against Republican Joshua Ray Blakeman in November.

Blakeman does not have a candidate committee filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. This means he has not received at least $325 from a single contributor, $500 or more from multiple contributors or spent $500 on a campaign. A limited campaign finance disclosure was not available.

Basinger's finance report notes he has raised $22,033 this election cycle. He had $6,547 on hand at the start of the report. After $9,345 in monetary contributions and $7,319 in expenses, he was left with $8,573. He has $3,357 of outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $25-$2,000. Topline contributors are Greenwood attorney Aaron Hankel ($1,000) and Columbia resident Roger Bennett ($2,000). Basinger also has made multiple monetary and in-kind donations to his candidate committee, with total contributions roughly $9,600. Basinger also made $10 contributions to fellow Democratic candidates Kathy Steinhoff for Missouri House District 45, David Tyson Smith for House District 46 and Plank.

He has received $245 from the Missouri House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Expenditures mostly went to campaign materials, including signs and mailers, along with supporting a campaign worker.

Bush has raised $38,795 this election cycle. He had $17,749 in cash on hand at the start of the reporting period. After $15,525 in contributions and $13,216 in expenses, he was left with $20,057 on hand. He has $1,000 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $25-$500

He received $245 from the House Democratic Campaign Committee, $2,000 each from IBEW Local Union 124 in Kansas City and United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 655 in Ballwin, $1,500 from the Missouri Nurses Association, $500 from the Shelter Insurance Missouri PAC, $500 from the Missouri Association of Nurse Anesthetists PAC, $500 from the Physical Therapy PAC of Missouri and $500 from the A Better Missouri PAC.

Expenditures have supported a campaign worker, gone toward marketing, printing services and website maintenance.

Boone County

Boone County Sheriff

Democrats Charles Blair and incumbent Dwayne Carey are facing off in the Aug. 6 primary. Whoever wins is the presumptive winner in November as there is no Republican challenger. Blair previously ran against Carey as a Republican in 2020. He recently explained his change of party affiliation .

Blair contributed $500 to his own candidate committee this election cycle per the July quarterly report. He has not yet had any expenses and has no outstanding debt.

Carey, however, has raised $17,314 this election cycle. He did not have any cash on hand at the start of the July reporting period, but after $11,800 in contributions and $500 in expenses he was left with $11,300. He has no outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $200-$5,000. Topline contributions came from retired Columbia resident Dudley Trice ($1,000), Rafe Parsons of Show-Me Cabinets ($1,000), retired Columbia resident William Little ($1,000) and Jeff Smith with JES Holdings ($5,000). Carey's own candidate committee contributed $5,000 through an in-kind donation.

Columbia resident Vicki Hobbs was paid $500 for the creation of an address list.

Boone County Commission

Democratic incumbents Justin Aldred and Janet Thompson will face off against Republicans Sam Turner and Cheri Toalson Reisch, respectively, for the respective southern district and northern district commissioner positions in November. Reisch previously was the Missouri House District 44 representative, but cannot run again due to term limits.

Aldred has raised $43,398 this election cycle, starting the reporting period with $15,765 in cash on hand. After $5,470 in contributions and $9,482 in expenses, he is left with $11,753. He has $25,000 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $25-$500. He also received $500 from the LiUNA 955 PAC and $1,000 from the Boone County Democratic Committee.

Expenses mostly went toward supporting campaign workers, advertising and the candidate website.

Thompson has raised $47,817 this election cycle. She started the reporting period with $33,762 cash on hand. Contributions of $8,257.10 and expense of $4,306.10 left her with $37,713.74. She has $18,000 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $25-$500. She also received $1,000 from the Boone County Democratic Committee.

Expenses went toward campaign materials, printings and mailings and independent contracts for separate campaign operations and compliance management.

Turner has raised $33,165 this election cycle, and had $14,258 on hand at the beginning of the reporting period. After $3,725 in contributions and $938 in expenses, he was left with $17,045. He has $20,000 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $25-$1,000. Topline contributor was Hallsville farmer Frank Martin. There were no PAC contributions this reporting term.

Expenses went toward advertising and marketing materials.

Reisch has raised $2,300 this election cycle, starting the July reporting period with no cash on hand. After the contributions and $396 in expenses, she is left with $1,903. She has no outstanding debt.

Individual contributions ranged from $50-$1,000. Her topline contributor was retired Ashland resident Roger Fries. There were no PAC donations.

Her expenses mostly went to advertising in the Centralia Fireside Guard newspaper.

Treasurer

Republican Dustin Stanton seeks to unseat Democrat Jenna Redel for Boone County Treasurer in November. Stanton had served as treasurer after his appointment to the position by Gov. Mike Parson in early 2022, but was defeated in that year's general election by Redel.

Stanton has raised $17,400 this election cycle. He started the reporting period with $11,593. After $3,890 in contributions and $1,107 of expenses, he was left with $14,375 cash on hand. He has $37.59 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $25-$500. Stanton made a $1,450 in-kind donation to his own candidate committee.

Expenses mostly went to printings, a paid sponsorship and voter analytics research.

Redel has raised $8,099 so far this election cycle. She had $5,933 in cash on hand to start the reporting term. After $2,500 in contributions and $885 in expenses she was left with $7,548. She has $6,500 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions range from $50-$1,000. Topline contributions were $1,000 from Columbia lawyer J. Andrew Hirth, who also is her candidate committee treasurer, and $1,000 from the Boone County Central Committee.

Expenses mostly went to campaign materials printing and website management.

Division 3 Judge

With the upcoming retirement of Division 3 Judge Kevin Crane , his seat on the bench is up for grabs. Republican Jesus Osete and Democrat Stephanie Morrell , who is the current Division 11 judge, are vying for the seat in November.

Osete has raised $47,192 so far this election cycle. He had $27,007 on hand at the start of the reporting period. After $10,393 in contributions and $1,233 in expenses, he is left with $36,166. He has $50 in outstanding debt.

Individual contributions ranged from roughly $2 to upward of $2,800. Many of the contributions were in-kind, including by Osete himself. Topline contributions came from Mel Zelenak, president of Maly Commercial Realty Inc. ($2,825), and Patrick O'Connor, attorney with Wagstaff and Cartmell LLP in Kansas City ($1,500). He also received a $1,000 contribution by the Callaway County Republican Central Committee.

Expenses mostly went to campaign materials and fee payments.

More: What's on the ballot for Columbia, Boone County in August primary elections

Morrell has raised $47,818 so far this election cycle. She had $28,650 in cash on hand at the start of the reporting period. After $13,160 in contributions and $11,216 in expenses, she was left with $30,593.70. She has no outstanding debt.

Individual contributions ranged from $1.15 to upward of $2,800 (this includes in-kind donations). Topline contributors were St. Louis attorneys David Zevan and Zane Cagle, both giving $2,825 and $1,000 from Andrew Popplewell of Columbia law firm Eng and Woods. The law firm as a whole also provided $1,000. The Boone County Democratic Committee gave $1,000. An addendum notes $118.02 in contributions were returned to Zevan and Cagle each.

Campaign expenses mostly went toward campaign materials, website hosting and a fundraising consultant.

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Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's how these Missouri candidates are spending contributions