2010 Local Election Results

Congratulations! The votes have been cast, the results have been cast, and the people have spoken. Below are the results from some of the hotly contested elections that we covered here at: MO Funds, MO Votes!

For a more in-depth look at the races around the Show-Me-State, head on over to:

Secretary Of State's Website

If you would like to examine what is happening all around the country, head on over to: The New York Times
They have full coverage and details of all the House, Senate, and Governor Races!

U.S. Senator
Robin Carnahan - DEM - 785,719 - 40.6%
Roy Blunt - REP - 1,051,495 - 54.3%
Jonathan Dine - LIB - 58,515 - 3.0%
Jerry Beck - CST - 41,195 - 2.1%

District 18 - State Senator
Wes Shoemyer - DEM - 3,424 - 45.4%
Brian Munzlinger - REP - 4,119 - 54.6%

District 9 - State Representative
Rebecca McClanahan - DEM - 3,288 - 43.3%
Zachary Wyatt - REP - 4,314 - 56.7%

State Auditor
Susan Montee - DEM - 867,663 - 45.4%
Tom Schweich - REP - 971,953 - 50.9%
Charles Baum - LIB - 70,616 -3.7%

Constitutional Amendment 1
Yes: 1,356,093 74.1%
No: 473,142 25.9%

Constitutional Amendment 2

Yes: 1,223,128 65.8%

No: 636,852 34.2% 

Constitutional Amendment 3

Yes: 1,586,994 83.7%

No: 308,117 16.3%

Proposition A

Yes: 1,293,282 68.4%

No: 597,031 31.6%

Proposition B

Yes: 993,860 51.6%

No: 933,540 48.4%

We hope you enjoyed your Election, got to take place in this pinnacle election, and learned a bit more about the Funding and Advocacy behind many of your local Democratic Candidates.

Thank You!

Don't be a goat, get out and vote! (tomorrow)

It is almost time for us to part dear readers! As the 2010 campaign season draws to a close, and voting begins tomorrow, we would like to leave you with one more piece of wisdom. VOTE. All the cool citizens are doing it...

If you are not quite sure who to vote for, but would like some knowledge from some knowledgeable Truman Students check out our classmates' blogs! For finance info for these candidates, check out our blog or Show Me the Money MO GOP 2010

US Senator:
DEM: Robin Carnahan, check out Common Sense Carnahan
REPUB: Roy Blunt, check out Roy's Rangers

State Auditor
DEM: Susan Montee
REPUB: Tom Swcheich

State Senator
DEM: Wes Shoemyer, check out A New View On Shoe
REPUB: Brian Munzlinger, check out The Rural Red

State Representative
DEM: Rebecca McClanahan, check out The McClanahan Conversation
REPUB: Zachary Wyatt, check out Winning with Wyatt

For fact checking of campaign ads and other political materials check out
The Republican Watchdogs
Check Dem Facts

Confused about all of those propositions? Check out Adair Alerts

Find a polling location!

Come back on Wednesday afternoon for election results! Don't forget, MO Funds, MO Votes.

One Last Funday

Happy Halloween! Would you like a Trick or some Funds? For Rebecca, the answer is apparent and as such, for this final Friday blog; we shall be looking at the amount of funding and the spending that has been done by the Campaign to Re-Elect Rebecca McClanahan.

According to the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC), Rebecca McClanahan has raised $48,521.31 by October, 2010. What we found to be most interesting was the amount of funds she raised in this month alone. In the last month, $15,745.00 were raised to help re-elect Rebecca; this totaled about 1/4^th of her total funds. This last burst of contributions brings her overall total to $58,550, now, we can’t say if this is necessarily the norm for these races; however, this has clearly been above and beyond her needs thus far. As shown in the total amount of expenditures, we can determine that she is currently in no trouble of needing to take from her own personal funds.

When we look at the total amount of expenditures, one thing is clear: Campaigns are costly. The MEC reports that this campaign has utilized $11,757.12; this has largely been used to push her message, fund her managers, and organize the campaign’s plan and future stops along the campaign trail. This number is even more interesting when we look at how much has been required for the past month; as noted by many citizens, the amount of advertising and advocacy has been increasing steadily as the race has gone on. This can be translated in the total amount of funds spent in this last month: $5,347.30! Clearly, there is a lot of planning, funds, and staffing that goes into these elections. We hope that you have thoroughly enjoyed and learned from our blog, we are almost done with this election cycle and soon we will all find out who the winners are and whether or not it is true what they say…

MO Funds, MO Votes! Happy Halloween!

The McClanahan Ban on Negative Campaigns

Did you know that Kirksville is in the middle of the 2^nd District of Missouri? Well, similarly in this way, MO Funds, MO Votes is currently in the middle of covering Rebecca McClanahan in her duel with Zachary Wyatt in the race for Representative of this local District. For this day, we shall be observing a pair of ads (pro and con) for her Campaign; analyzing the message they press and the tools by which it is carried out.

According to thisnation.com, an online collection of politically related articles and link, challenging candidates are more likely to use attack ads than incumbents. Incumbents are more widely known due to their history of service, and therefore already have a built reputation that only needs to be supplemented. Although there have not been any attack ads run this season between Wyatt and McClanahan, it is evident in their ads who is the newcomer and who already has an established record.

In McClanahan’s TV spot called roots, it briefly mentions her political values but mostly bombards the viewer with images of her as a child, her with children, and her in Missouri. It touts her record not as a politician but as a 7^th generation Missourian (Wyatt is an 8^th generation Missourian, he has one upped her there).  The ad is purely positive in that it never even mentions Zacahry Wyatt.

McClanahan said during an interview with Truman’s own Index that she is running a positive campaign. She went on to say that “her commitment to a 100 percent positive campaign stems not only from a reflection of her personal opinions on campaigning but also from what she said is a call from voters.” Also according to the article, McClanahan says she has encountered some negative campaigning against her, however, we could not find these (and we would like to think we are pretty internet savvy, being college students).

In 2006, Todd Kuhns, current mayor of Kirksville, created a response ad to these negative ads. It pokes fun at the typical black and white grainy photos that tell listeners about all the terrible things a candidate stands for, in McClanahan’s case, it is affordable health care and loving puppies.

To learn more about Rebecca McClanahan, check out our classmates blog here!

                Her opponent’s campaign, (Zachary Wyatt) is turning away from negative campaign ads. This is an atypical campaign strategy as there has been a considerable use of them throughout history. There isn’t a substantial amount of support for their lasting effect on the voter and this may even be weakened by the fact that Rebecca has come out right and told the people of Missouri that she will be running a “100 percent positive campaign.”  However, this doesn’t keep the two from trading positions back and forth; Wyatt and McClanahan both had their chance to speak to local voters about their views and areas of expertise.

Regardless of the ads being run by each side, one thing is clear; advocating your positions, spreading your message, and raising funds for your candidate are crucial to this campaign. Keep an eye out for this race to pour on the advocacy, as we only have a few more days to go!

Our classmates at Winning with Wyatt, have been covering this candidate pretty closely be sure to check them out here!

Come back on Halloween eve eve as we look at more spooky campaign financing!

Teacher. Nurse. Representative.

It’s the Final Countdown (cue synth riff) here at MO Funds, MO Votes to the big Election Day! We are near completion and as such, we shall be covering a candidate that is very close to our fair Truman State University. During this final full week of posting we will be focusing on the Democratic candidate running for re-election as Missouri’s District 2 Representative: Rebecca McClanahan! District 2 includes Adair,Putnam and part of Sullivan counties. McClanahan is a nurse and former Truman State University nursing professor.

Followthemoney has not collected monetary information from McClanahan since July. Due to this lack up updated information we are not able to bring you current facts and figures at this time. We will do our best using current campaign finance reports and her previous political financial information to analyze McClanahan’s current campaign season.

In 2008, McClanahan raised $168,482, in comparison, her opponent Thom Van Vleck, raised $82,504. So true to our name, mo funds, mo votes. In a sector breakdown, the majority of McClanahan’s money came from party organizations, coming in 2nd is the health sector. This 2nd place contributor should not come as a surprise due to McClanahan’s extensive health background.

When looking at her 2010 October Campaign Finance Committee Report, it is clear that McClanahan is receiving quite a few small donations from citizens and labor organizations. The report was filed October 15, and covers donations ranging from late August through late September. During this period McClanahan raised $15,845.00. According to her 2008 October Campaign Finance Committee Report, during this same period two years ago McClanahan raised $27,380.00. McClanahan is raising less money this season, but still has 1 week left!

Come back on Wednesday as we hopefully give you more update information and inform you on some of McClanahan’s major supporters!

Don't forget! The election is only 1 week away!

Friday Night Fights

Tonight, we have a knock-down, drag-out fight between the two sides of the race for Missouri State Auditor!

In the red corner, we have Republican candidate: Tom Schweich. He is a fifth generation Missourian lawyer, whom attended both Yale and Harvard Law School. He has written a best-selling book, been the Chief of Staff to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and claims to be independent of the reach of this party and the ties that bind them. Let’s take a look at some of his ads, what he is aiming for, and what he claims to be the big issues in this upcoming election.



As the title indicates, many of the issues that he attacks his opponent on is that she has been taking and benefitting from the “failed stimulus” plans. In addition to this, his campaign pushes the idea that he is an “independent” candidate that stands up to all; supporters and opponents.





In this next section, he takes a look at his “Front Line Experience”, personal dedication to exposing fraudulent spending, and his natural “True Watchdog” background. Clearly his campaign is perpetrating the idea that Susan Montee has been personally benefitting from the irresponsible, wasteful, and deceitful habits of Washington politicians. He claims that his independence, education, and past experience makes him the prime candidate to replace Mrs. Montee as the Missouri State Auditor, but we here at MO Funds, MO Votes want to examine every side.  Let’s take a look at our blue corner, Democratic incumbent Susan Montee!

Montee has run positive campaigns in the past and has continued to run mostly postivie during this elections. In her 2006 campaign she worked with a Nashville based media consulting company, Fletcher Rowely & Riddle Inc. (formerly Fletch, Rowely Chao Riddle Inc), to produce TV spots that featured her 97 year old grandmother. This season Montee is focusing only on herself and her previous experience. Montee also speaks highly of being in the middle of politics saying "There's no Democrat or Republican way to do an audit.”



In her first ad Montee focused entirely on her previous record as auditor but in her 2nd ad released shortly after she does a bit of picking at Schweich. She repeats her record as both a experienced CPA but also as an attorney where Schweich only has history of being a lawyer. Montee has worked as a CPA in both “private practice and in one of the nations largest accounting firms”. Montee received her law degree form the University of Missouri-Kansas City.



Come back next week as we look at some of the local races and the local funding of these races!

FUN FACT: Tom Schweich's campaign slogan "I like Schweich" is playing off of the historic politcal campaign of Dwight Eisenhower, I like Ike. This phrase took Eisenhower to the White House in 1952, and Schweich is hoping this similar phrase carries him to office as well. 

Contributing Beer and Coal

We are back and delivering as always, on the eve of this much anticipated Fall Break; here at Truman State. Fear not my fellow fans of funding, this dynamic duo shall continue to deliver even in a moment of relaxation; like the majestic Clydesdale, we will be bringing you refreshing and fun news throughout the week. Today shall focus on some of the top donors to Susan Montee’s campaign to retain the seat of Missouri State Auditor. Like many other Democrats, Mrs. Montee has several contributions from labor unions and lawyers; one stand-out contributor to her efforts is that of, “Peabody Energy”. Out of the entire $766,306 raised, they contributed a sizeable $10,000 to the cause and represent the only Energy & Natural Resources section of her campaign (excluding a small $100 donation from a railroad company).

Peabody Energy claims to be the “…world's largest private-sector coal company and the only global pure-play coal investment.” They have an office in St. Louis, MO and have a hand in the mining industry here in the local government of Missouri. This is not to say that this coal-mining company is a small-time actor, quite the contrary, this group actually doubled its third quarter profit ($280.3 Mil from $135.5 Mil); a large amount of this is due to the fact that there has been a rise in the need for coal energy (particularly from China).

In relation to her efforts, this endorsement comes during an interesting period. Over the summer, on the 16^th of June, the city of St. Louis offered the company a $61 million tax incentive to keep their company firmly planted in the Show Me State; largely due to the impact they have on the economy, plus the 500+ jobs they currently supply to the people of St. Louis. Not 18 days had passed after this offering, before Peabody Energy supplied Auditor Montee with the contribution.

While this isn’t scandalous as some might’ve been hoping for, it does come at a bit of whimsy, due to the fact that 2 months earlier in April, the State Auditor’s Office has published a report that critiqued Tax Credit Programs. The report stated, “In each case state agencies overstated the economic impact of the program.” The report had examined the varying effectiveness of several local programs and found that most of them were not nearly as convincing as they had been pitched.

Regardless of this, Peabody Energy is a staple of blue-collar jobs and economic support in the state, as well as helping the campaign to re-elect Susan Montee as State Auditor. In addition to this corporation, another popular company has thrown down MO dough for Susan Montee’s quest for re-election, St. Louis based Anheuser-Busch. Anheuser Busch is a separately owned sub-company of the Belgium brewing company Anheuser Busch InBev. Anheuser Busche InBev is the largest brewing company in the world, and Anheuser-Busch is the largest brewery in the United States.

Anheuser Busch and Anheuser Busch InBev are not new players in the game of political contributions. Anheuser-Busch InBev sent over 3 million dollars across the pond in 2008-2009 for federal lobbying opportunities. Anheuser-Busch InBev has contributed to Robin Carnahan and Republican challenger Roy Blunt this political season. Anheuser-Busch has its own political action committee or PAC which as so far this cycle spent over 1 million dollars. Robin Carnahan and Roy Blunt also received money from this PAC. For a complete list of recipients check out opensecrets.org. Don’t remember what a PAC is? Check out our blog entry from September!

So far this campaign season Anheuser-Busch has contributed $15,000 to Montee. But Montee is not the only one receiving major donations from the brewery. Anheuser-Busch has also contributed $10,000 to Montee’s opponent, Tom Schweich, as well as Allen Icet, a Republican candidate who lost in the primaries. But the giving is nearly balanced as Anheuser-Busch has previously given 49.8% to Democrats, and 50.2% to Republicans.

Chart taken from followthemoney,org

For more information on Tom Schweich check out our classmates blog Show Me The Money MO GOP 2010.

Come back on Friday for an equally exciting blog written by two Truman Students enjoying their much awaited Fall Break!!