The Missouri Republican State Committee has produced the following radio ad attacking Democrat Jay Nixon:

Governor Matt Blunt’s re-election campaign has taken issue with Attorney General Jay Nixon’s characterization of the Republican governor as being in support of President George W. Bush’s veto yesterday of the reauthorization of a program that provides health care for millions of children.

John Hancock, spokesman for Missourians for Matt Blunt, says the governor fully supports the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and wants Congress and the White House to work out their differences as soon as possible.

“This another area where Jay Nixon’s only solution is a big tax increase,” said Hancock.

“Governor Blunt has said repeatedly that he strongly supports reauthorizing SCHIP. He has said that the Congress and the President should work together to reauthorize the program without the tax increase that Nixon is endorsing.”

The Nixon campaign released a statement yesterday saying Blunt opposes the program which could potentially reinstate health care for thousands of Missouri children.

“We now have more than 127,000 children in our state without insurance. That is unacceptable,” said Nixon in the statement. “But instead of supporting a program which could bring coverage to thousands of those children, Matt Blunt is touting a health care plan that ignores them completely.”

Nixon also noted that, as a percentage of the population, Missouri has kicked more people off SCHIP than any other state from June 2005 to June 2006.

“Following Blunt’s massive health care cuts in 2005, there are now more than 127,000 Missouri children without health insurance,” said the Nixon campaign.

A report by the The Kansas City Star uncovered that aides to Governor Matt Blunt urged the Missouri Highway Patrol to publicly criticize Attorney General Jay Nixon, a potential Democratic challenger in the 2008 election.

In e-mails obtained by the Star, sent from Blunt’s office to the Highway Patrol, reveal that the Governor’s office was instrumental in putting together a June 7 Highway Patrol statement that critized Nixon over how he handled the 2005 Taum Sauk reservoir collapse.

“The e-mails show the governor used the Highway Patrol not as a law enforcement agency but as a political arm of his administration,” said Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for the Missouri Democratic Party.

Blunt’s office says they were not trying to use the Highway Patrol for political gain. Instead, they say they were helping members of the department voice their frustrations with the Attorney General for not filing criminal charges in the Taum Sauk case.

But as The Star points out, the Governor’s staff did not send any e-mails urging the Highway Patrol to attack Nixon until after two Patrol spokesmen agreed with Nixon’s statement.

The Republican Party was already critical of Nixon’s involvement in the case, citing a campaign donation by Ameren as reason for bias. Nixon has since returned the contribution.

The Attorney General’s office is now pursuing a civil case against Ameren. The Environmental Protection Agency is also looking into the case.

It is a favorite political pastime to watch the financial accomplishments of those thoroughbreds of political fundraising; the Blunts, Slays and McMillans of the political world. But with the end of contribution limits, what was once a horse race is now more like NASCAR.

This post will be updated throughout the day with updated numbers. Stay tuned.

The Race for Governor

We’re still waiting for Governor Matt Blunt’s and Jay Nixon’s July reports to post. But on his April campaign finance report, Blunt proved this was indeed a whole new world by raising $2.9 million with the help of numerous $25,000, $50,000 (one from a happy “homemaker” in Monett), and $100,000 donors.

The 5th Senate

The rumor was true, by raising an eye-popping $111,011.54 last quarter, State Rep. Rodney Hubbard* removed any doubt that he is the frontrunner in the race to succeed State Sen. Maida Coleman.

According to his report, Hubbard transferred $11,886.54 from his state rep. committee and got large donations from Rex Sinquefield ($30,000) and License Collector Mike McMillan ($10,000). Much of the rest of Hubbard’s money came from dozens of $25 and $50 contributions from local supporters.

As we reported last week, State Rep. Tom Villa, who is also running, raised just $500. State Rep. Robin Wright Jones‘, another possible candidate, report has not been posted yet.

*Hubbard is a client of A D French & Associates

UPDATE: Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder raised $347,015 last quarter, bringing his total cash on hand (after spending $36,000) to just over $400,000. Notable names on his report: Kwame Building Group ($2,000), Paul McKee and his McEagle Properties ($5,000 plus a $1,856.58 in-kind donation), and Steve Stogel ($2,000).

More later…

Gearing up for his re-election campaign, Governor Matt Blunt unveiled his new campaign website today. The site, www.mattblunt.com, has been completely redesigned and sports new campaign colors.

The Governor will be in town today to sign the controversial Mo HealthNet bill into law. Check back later for video. (Sorry, no video.)

Two well-known St. Louis Catholics are asking Attorney General and Democratic candidate for governor Jay Nixon to support Governor Matt Blunt’s selection to the State Board of Education.

PubDef.net has obtained a copy of a letter dated this week sent to Nixon from Rev. Sal E. Polizzi of St. Roch Catholic Church and Rev. Vincent Bommarito of St. Ambrose Catholic Church. In it, the two ask Nixon to support the appointment of conservative Democrat Derio Gambaro to the Board of Education.

“As the leading Democrat in our state and the only announced Democratic candidate for governor of our state we are writing to ask you to contact Senator [Jeff] Smith and ask him to support Derio,” they wrote.

“As you well know, the Italian neighborhood (The Hill) is still a very democratic area and the residents would appreciate Senator Smith’s support for Derio’s appointment.”

Gambaro was one of Smith’s opponents in a crowded primary contest last year to replace the term-limited State Sen. Pat Dougherty. Smith has voiced some concerns about Gambaro’s appointment.

Click here to download the letter
Click here to read Jeff Smith’s statement on Gambaro
Click here to watch video of Blunt’s announcement

Following Missouri Attorney General (and likely Democratic nominee for Governor) Jay Nixon’s decision not file criminal charges against Ameren for the Taum Sauk dam collapse, state Republicans are continuing their cries of conflict of interest.

Nixon accepted $19,000 in campaign donations from sources connected to Ameren. Following GOP attacks and media reports across the state, Nixon says he has since returned the money.

In their latest attack, Republicans point to an Associated Press report that a 2,000-page report provided to Nixon by the Missouri Highway Patrol informed the Attorney General that “an unknown Ameren employee” removed probes designed to shut down the plant and prevent an overflow if water ever reached them immediately after the Taum Sauk disaster.

Republicans say Nixon made the decision not to file charges without identifying the Ameren employee, referred to as “Mr. X”, who removed that critical evidence in the scene of the “worst man-made disaster in Missouri’s history”.

“The Attorney General, who is acting Reynolds County Prosecutor in the criminal investigation, can request subpoenas to force Ameren or Mr. X to come forward,” charged a GOP press release.

“Missourians are owed an explanation as to why Jay Nixon, the criminal prosecutor in the Ameren Taum Sauk case, failed to identify Ameren’s Mr. X,” said Jared Craighead, Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party.

“Even though the Missouri Highway Patrol provided his office with a thorough, 2,000 page report, Nixon failed to follow up on a critical lead: the identity of the Ameren employee, and potential suspect, who removed critical evidence from the scene of a disaster. It is also unknown if Nixon requested a subpoena to learn the identity of Mr. X.”

“Reasonable people are entitled to believe that a competent criminal prosecutor would have been interested in knowing the identity of Mr. X,” Craighead said. “Nixon’s incompetence in the Taum Sauk case is truly breathtaking,” Craighead said.

In the meantime, the AP reports that state utility regulators are reopening their investigation into Taum Sauk after learning that Ameren readjusted crucial safety gauges at the facility and removed the gauges after the basin collapsed.

Press Release from Gov. Matt Blunt’s office…

Comparing the actions of Attorney General Jay Nixon to a traffic cop that coerces money from a speeding motorist, Gov. Matt Blunt’s Chief of Staff Ed Martin today said he will testify Wednesday before the Public Service Commission (PSC) despite objections from Nixon. Martin plans to reveal information he received in private about the nearly $20,000 Nixon’s office sought and received from Ameren after Nixon became the criminal investigator in the Ameren Taum Sauk disaster case.

“Anybody knows that law enforcement cannot take money or gifts from suspects or investigative targets,” Martin wrote in a letter to Nixon. “Everyone knows it is wrong for a police officer or deputy to take money at a traffic stop. Everyone knows a prosecutor must not seek money or gifts from a target or defendant.”

Ameren is currently seeking a rate increase for their customers in hearings before the Public Service Commission. Last year, at the request of the Attorney General’s political office, Ameren funneled nearly $20,000 in campaign cash to Nixon through four Democrat Committees after he became the criminal prosecutor in the Taum Sauk disaster case. For more than a year, Nixon denied his involvement in the request for Ameren funds, but this month Ameren revealed that it was Nixon’s office that requested the money even though Nixon was conducting a criminal investigation into the utility company.

Last week, Office of Administration Chief Counsel Rich AuBuchon asked the Attorney General’s Office to take all necessary actions to recognize Martin as a witness to provide testimony to the PSC. When the Attorney General’s office failed to comply with the request, the Administration worked directly with the PSC to allow Martin’s testimony.

Martin said his testimony will show how Nixon’s actions are hurting Ameren ratepayers.

“The Taum Sauk settlement and rebuild are worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” Martin wrote in a letter to Nixon. “The Ameren rate case could cost hundreds of millions more. Put simply, once you asked for and received Ameren’s money, you lost the ability to be trusted as Ameren’s legal adversary. An officer of the law who takes money at a traffic stop will lose the public’s good opinion. It only makes the matter worse if the officer refuses to account for himself. Therefore, I respectfully request that you recuse yourself from any and all dealings with Ameren. This includes the Taum Sauk case and the Ameren rate case.”

Click here to download Martin’s letter.