Still Undecided About the Auditor's Race?

On the eve of the primary election, are you a Republican still undecided about the state auditor's race where four major candidates are battling it out? If so, here's some help in trying to distinguish between the 4 majors.

Jack Jackson
Yes, he's a colonel. Endorsed by former Congressman Mel Hancock, Jackson stresses his military leadership and business experience. He wants to put auditors in place at the beginning of major programs to root out problems before they manifest. He would use factors like risk, cost and time to determine what programs to focus on. "At the end of the day, I report to you, noone else," Jackson says. "These auditors will be the boots on the ground."

John Loudon
A senior state senator, Loudon points to his work in Jefferson City on legislation as evidence that he gets things done. Loudon believes the most important job of the auditor is to go beyond the audit itself to fix problems. He says finding creative solutions is more important than "producing thick reports." In order to depoliticize the process, Loudon proposes hiring private auditors to perform "touchy" or "controversial" audits. "That way they give an objective result, and the auditor can't take the credit or blame," he says. Loudon believes Tuesday will all be a matter of turnout. "If it weren't for (Jackson's) big loan of his own personal money, this election would be all over with," Loudon says. Loudon believes the race is between himself and the colonel.

Sandra Thomas
She's the only certified public accountant in the primary, and she lets everyone know it. Since entry-level jobs at the auditor's office require a bachelor and masters degree in accounting, Thomas believes that's the least the leader of the office should have. "I feel like I'm the only qualified candidate for this race," she says. If elected, Thomas would lay out a 4-year plan that would do audits based on risk and where taxpayer money is lost most frequently. Thomas ousted a Democrat to become the Platte County auditor. But recently almost $200,000 went missing from the county. Thomas says the money isn't really missing and that it is really a problem with the bank reconciliation. She blames the treasurer for the snafu because the treasurer knew about the problem and didn't bring it to anyone's attention. Thomas slams current auditor Claire McCaskill for her mishandling of the Springfield Municipal Court financial situation. "Looks like she missed that entirely. They haven't been here to do an audit since 2000," Thomas says. "Where was she when all of this was going on?" Thomas boasts the endorsement of former three-term auditor Margaret Kelly. Ironically enough, when meeting with Kelly, where did she tell Thomas she found the most fraud as auditor? The judicial system.

Mark Wright
Rebuked by the party hierarchy, Mark Wright says he's running as an independent and a maverick. The only candidate in the race from southwest Missouri, Wright claims to be an auditor who "promises to come back." As a lawmaker, Wright says he's the only candidate in the race who has saved taxpayers "millions in waste, fraud and abuse." But he is also making a political pitch in asking for your support. "I talked to a Democrat the other day and he said the candidate Claire McCaskill fears most in this race is Mark Wright. I said, why? He said, because of where you are from. You are from southwest Missouri, you are the candidate that helps Jim Talent the most and you are the candidate who hurts Claire McCaskill the most," Wright explained. "Democrats know the only way to return to power is through the rural base. If we elect an all urban ticket from St. Louis and Kansas City, the Democratic party is going to have a field day and they are going to rip us apart," Wright added. Unfortunately for Wright, the head of the G.O.P. has already ripped Wright apart. Wright believes that's because he wants to reform the way license fee offices are operated and also has a plan to audit state government contracts for potential "political patronage conflicts."

Al Hanson
He's been down this road before.. and won!

Who's got the edge going in to Tuesday. One Republican who's affiliated with one of the candidates says this: "My head says Jackson, but my gut says Loudon."