Political Donations and You

What does a donation mean to a political candidate? Well, if you are challenging an established incumbent, it can mean a lot. In St. Louis, we have two candidates that are challenging established incumbents with decent war chest funds. These challengers need YOUR time, effort and yes money to be able to succeed.

Why do they need YOUR donations, you may be asking. There are two reasons.

1. Candidates need donations of time and money. They need:
• time because they cannot be at all places at all times. They need people to help organize fundraisers, drop literature, assist at events, make phone calls, make mailers, answer the phones, etc. A volunteer, a true volunteer and not one of the Democrat paid volunteers, is worth their weight in gold to a candidate. They are the lifeblood of a challenger and can make the difference in a tight election.
• money because that is what it takes to get their name out. Money is needed to register to run, print flyers, run advertisements on radio and TV, get a web page made, have a phonebank make calls and even rent and operate a headquarters.
• stuff. You would be surprised what kind of stuff a candidate needs. They need computers and printers. If they have printers, they need toner and paper. If they have a headquarters, the need furniture. They need yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons, shirts and hats. They need all of the things that a normal business needs to operate, but they need it quicker.
2. If the money comes from you, the candidate is being paid for by you. If the candidate gets their money from PACs and companies, they are indebted to these companies. Not all candidates are this way. There are several out there that do what is right for the people. That said, there are many that are willing to do what is right for their campaign contributors. Do you think Lacy Clay would give a care for the Rent to Own industry if they did not pay him or his personal PAC so much money? If you want a candidate that is going to represent you and not have to make deals with companies and PAC's to get money, then YOU have to donate and not leave it to the interest groups

Based upon the current, as of data available today, Federal Elections Commission information, here is how the two races look in regards to donations. Both Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay have received more money from PAC's than they have from individuals. Don't believe me, click on the images below to see for yourself. These come straight from the FEC website.

If you want to do your own homework, click HERE to go to the Missouri page.

To add insult to injury, of Lacy Clay's $185,642 in individual contributions, $89,420 is from people out of the state of Missouri. In the case of Russ Carnahan, $96,510 out of $575,207 is from people out of the state of Missouri. While Russ has a higher percentage of Missouri donations, both seem to be receiving a lot of money from out of state interests.

In the interest of fairness, I have to say that Ed Martin has received a considerable amount of money from out of state individuals too. Of his $820,064 in individual donations, $101,916 comes from individuals out of state. Robyn Hamlin does not have any individual donations listed, meaning that she has not received, any individual donations over $200.00.

Across the board, people agree that it is time to get rid of the established and entrenched Democrats that have sat in the Senate and Congress for years and done nothing for their constituents. If you really want this to occur, the candidates need your help. They need your financial support and they need your time.

Now, let me say something for those in Missouri in and out of the MO first district. Robyn Hamlin needs your help. There has been no time within in recent history that we have been this close to being able to get rid of Lacy Clay. While many are focusing on the Russ Carnahan vs Ed Martin fight, Robyn is getting ignored. She needs your help too. Lacy Clay is beatable. If you would just please give her a few dollars, it can go a long way. Skipping Starbucks or brown bagging lunch for a week for one person can by some additional flyers, yard signs or bumper stickers. If you can, please go to her website at http://www.hamlinforcongress.com/ and make a donation.