– St. Louis-area Democratic activist Rea Kleeman said Saturday Attorney General Chris Koster told her he had decided against weighing into the debate over the income tax cut bill that was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon earlier this summer.

In an email to other activists obtained by PoliticMo, Kleeman said Koster “had decided this wasn’t a fight he should get into,” and told her “the governor and already won the fight.”

In a statement Sunday night, Koster campaign manager Rachel Levine confirmed the conversation between the two about the legislation, HB 253, took place on Saturday at the Missouri Democratic Party State Committee meeting in Jefferson City.

“Attorney General Koster told Rea that he would not be offering any comment on HB253. The Attorney General’s office does not have a direct role in setting tax policy,” she said. “Koster noted that it appears less than likely that a motion to override the bill would be successful.”

Koster’s refusal to weigh in comes as he continues to ready for a likely gubernatorial campaign in 2016. On Saturday, he was introduced by outgoing Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Mike Sanders as the state’s “next governor.” House Speaker Tim Jones, a Republican, had asked Koster earlier this month to weigh in on some of the legal components in the bill, but Koster declined.

Since changing his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in 2007, Koster has received some $300,000 from Rex Sinquefield, the St. Louis billionaire who has contributed some $2.4 million to the “Grow Missouri” effort urging members to vote in favor of a veto override. State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who told PoliticMo he opposed the bill, received $5,000 from Sinquefield in 2009.