JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Former U.S. Ambassador and St. Louis-area businessman Sam Fox contributed another $100,000 to state Auditor Tom Schweich’s reelection campaign.

Fox’s latest contribution comes just a few months after Fox contributed $50,000 to Schweich (on top of another $100,000 he contributed in June). Fox also hosted a large fundraiser for Schweich at his home last November. Since 2009, Fox and his wife have contributed a total of $533,000 to Schweich’s electoral efforts.

While it provides an obvious boost for his 2014 effort, the contribution may be as much about saber rattling for a potential 2016 campaign as anything else. Schweich, like many Republicans, has not been shy about his interest in running for governor in 2016. So too has Catherine Hanaway, who has been quietly making phone calls and working the event circuit over the past year.

Schweich’s likely opponent, Democratic State Rep. Jay Swearingen, has not put up as much of a fight in the cash race. He reported just one contribution over $5,000 last quarter ($5,100 from the Kansas City firefighters union).

The latest large contribution was reported on the Missouri Ethics Commission’s website. Full fourth quarter reports for the two (which will not include Fox’s latest contribution) will be available on Wednesday.