Candidates have spent hundreds of thousands in 10th Senate District race

Catherine Dreher
Catherine Dreher


Hundreds of thousands of dollars are flowing in the race for Missouri's 10th Senate District.

The five Republicans running for the seat have employed a mix of approaches for raising and spending the dollars.

State Reps. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, and Jeff Porter, R-Montgomery City, are running to represent the newly formed district, as is former state Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville, and Wentzville Judge Mike Carter. Joshua Price, an auto shop worker from Mexico, Missouri, was drawn outside the district but has also filed to run.

Those five Republicans are competing for the party nomination decided by the Aug. 2 primary election, after which the nominee will face Libertarian candidate Catherine Dreher in the Nov. 8 general election. Sen. Jeanie Riddle, R-Mokane, currently holds the office, but faces term limits and cannot run for re-election.

The most recent campaign finance filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission, submitted July 15, show some candidates have spent hundreds of thousands.

Fitzwater's campaign ended June with the most cash on hand with $141,332, followed by Spencer's campaign with $138,460 on hand.

So far this election cycle, Fitzwater has raised more than $126,600, and Spencer has gathered more than $139,700.

Fitzwater had more than $103,500 in cash on hand by April 1. From the beginning of April to the end of June, his campaign raised another $60,766. Financial support largely came from individual donors and PACs, such as $2,400 from the Missouri Growth PAC -- connected to Steve Tilley, a lobbyist and adviser to the governor -- and $1,500 from the Ameren Missouri PAC. Riddle, the district's term-limited incumbent, donated $100 to his campaign last quarter.

In the same three-month period, Fitzwater's campaign spent more than $23,000. Major expenses were $9,055 on advertising and marketing ($8,000 of which was social media advertising), $7,350 on campaign staff, supplies and apparel, and $3,580 on campaign meals.

In total, Fitzwater has spent upwards of $36,000 on his campaign for state Senate.

Spencer's campaign began the quarter with $148,772. From April through June, it added another $5,478. Contributions came from nine individual donors, with contributions ranging from $170 to $1,000.

Spencer spent nearly $15,800 on his campaign last quarter, all but $375 of which was on campaign material printing. Other expenses were a $290 fundraising event in Wentzville and $72 on travel.

Spencer has spent a total of $22,206 running for the 10th Senate District.

Carter trails behind in terms of money on hand with $55,562, but has spent more than any of the other candidates so far this election cycle with a staggering $462,168.

Porter has followed a similar trend, to a smaller scale. His campaign had nearly $43,000 on hand by June 30 and had spent more than $111,000 -- the second most in the race so far.

Carter's campaign has gathered nearly $522,500 in total, which is largely a half-a-million dollar loan he made to his campaign. The other $22,500 in donations include a $4,750 in-kind contribution and individual and PAC funds, ranging from $193 to $2,400. All funds were raised during the last quarter.

Carter spent the full $462,168 from April through June, almost all on advertising and marketing. The campaign used more than $9,100 on supplies, photos and bank fees. The rest was spent on billboards, print media, radio, social media and other forms of advertising.

Porter's campaign had raised more than $137,000 by the start of the quarter, but only had nearly $24,300 in cash on hand. It added another $41,795 in the past three months, largely thanks to PAC donations, including $2,400 from the Missouri School Administrators PAC and several $2,400 contributions from union PACs.

Only $23,126 of Porter's $111,000 in campaign spending took place last quarter. Campaign spending on advertising and signs totaled more than $15,000 and another $7,500 was paid to Carolina's Campaign Consulting.

Porter's campaign has raised more than $178,800 in total.

Price, the only remaining Republican candidate, has not filed campaign finance declarations with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Dreher, the Libertarian candidate the Republican nominee will face in the Nov. 8 general election, has a little more than $500 in cash on hand. Her campaign has raised more than $1,750 so far.

  photo  Jeff Porter
 
 
  photo  Travis Fitzwater
 
 
  photo  Bryan Spencer

 
 


  photo  Mike Carter (submitted photo)
 
 
  photo  Joshua Price (submitted photo)