[1]

Gov. Jay Nixon (PoliticMo Photo/Blake James)

— On most issues, gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence makes the point to differentiate himself from Gov. Jay Nixon. But on the issue of campaign finance, the two might be able to find some agreement.

On Friday, following a Supreme Court decision that struck down major parts of a 2010 ethics law law, Nixon, a Democrat, called on the Missouri General Assembly to pass campaign finance reforms that reinstate reporting requirements during legislative session and to pass legislation limiting campaign contributions.

“Openness, transparency and accountability are bedrock pillars of our democracy,” Nixon said during a news conference. “When it comes to our ethics laws, we must keep moving forward, not backward.”

The next day, in an interview with PoliticMo, Spence, a Republican, said he “absolutely” supports both reforms.

“I’ve have no issue with it whatsoever,” he said. “There should be complete transparency.”

Spence does take issue, however, with Nixon, Missouri’s former attorney general, for calling for the reforms, even after receiving several large checks from attorneys, which added up to nearly a third of his $6 million on hand.

“I think the Governor talking about campaign reform is like Charlie Sheen talking about drug abuse. I think it is crazy,” He said. “I think it such a hypocrisy that our governor, who is a poster child for campaign contributions from people who are doing pay for play, is talking about campaign finance reform.”

Before launching his campaign, Spence had contributed over $15,000 to candidates over the last decade. But when he launched his campaign last November, he contributed $2 million to his campaign, likely the largest single contribution in the state’s history.

Spence, himself, has accepted large contributions from industry leaders, including $50,000 from a food storage executive, $100,000 from a piping executive, and another $100,000 from a real estate executive.

Missouri House Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, said the issue is unlikely to be brought up in the General Assembly before the 2012 election, so it will likely land on the desk of whoever wins in November to sign.

“If the issue advances, I’d be happy to support it, but I think we’ll attain a better bill in a non-election year,” he said in an interview with the Kansas City Star.