Following the Money: 139th Republican Primary

Quarterly reports are into the Missouri Ethics Commission. Here's the breakdown from the 139th Republican Primary in northern Greene County:

Karen Roark started with nothing on April 1st. She's loaned her campaign $15,000 and has raised $3,480 with lots of small contributions of $25 or $50. She still has most of this money in the bank, spending just $1,231.57 in the last three months, mainly on postage, office supplies and signage.

Joe Pyles also started the quarter with nothing. He's raised $6,575, with checks of at least $100 or more. His donor list includes former state senators John Russell and Morris Westfall and former congressman Wendell Bailey. He's spent $2,057.83 on mailings, postage to mail them, and a list of voters to send them to.

Finally, Shane Schoeller started with $2,764,69. He raised $7,560 in contributions and got a $4,000 loan from a relative. His donors are also generous, most checks are at least $200. A barbecue fundraiser in Willard in May with 50 people netted him $1,250. He's spent a lot of that too ($11,444.33 in the last three months). Thompson Communications, the Payroll compnay and the usual postage/flyers took up the bulk of his expenditures.