St. Louis billionaire Rex Sinqueifeld is spending big on his pick to replace outgoing-Gov. Jay Nixon in 2016.
The conservative financier doubled down on his support for Catherine Hanaway, the only Republican who has announced a 2016 run for the office. On Wednesday, he contributed $750,000 to Hanaway, marking the largest personal contribution to any candidate in the state’s history.
Hanaway, in a statement Wednesday, addressed the issue head on, noting her support from donors of “every walk of life,” including Sinquefield.
“I am thankful that Mr. Sinquefield supports the pro-growth agenda I have been working on since I was first elected to public office in 1998,” she said. “After Rex moved back to Missouri in 2005, he began advocating reforms for which I have fought for years.”
When Hanaway announced her candidacy this spring, Sinquefield – who has spent big money advocating for tax cuts and school choice – contributed an initial $50,000 to her campaign. In total, Sinquefield has been personally behind 64 percent of the contributions raised by her campaign. In addition, the Missouri Club for Growth, which also gets the majority of its funding from Sinquefield, contributed $100,000 to Hanaway in April.
The massive check Wednesday provided a boost to an otherwise weak fundraising quarter for Hanaway, a former U.S. Attorney and Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. Prior to Sinquefield’s massive check, Hanaway had raised less than $70,000 over the past three months.
On the same day, Sinquefield also threw $275,000 behind Sen. Kurt Schaefer, the only announced Republican candidate for attorney general.
Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat who has made no secret his interest in seeking his party’s nomination for governor in 2016, raised $515,000 in the most recent fundraising quarter, ending September with more than $2.6 million on hand — more than double the amount of money n Hanaway’s account. Koster has, a former Republican, has taken money from Sinquefield in the past.
State Auditor Tom Schweich, the only statewide Republican on the ballot next month, had indicated his interest in running for governor, too. He raised $234,000 in the third quarter and ended with $1.2 million on hand.