By Antonio D. French
Filed Sunday, February 5 at 8:37 AM
The AP is reporting that Republican State Rep. Jack Jackson pledged to put $500,000 of his own money into his campaign for state auditor. That matches the amount put up by Democrat Susan Montee.
Other candidates in the race include Republican Sen. John Loudon and Democrat Sen. Maida Coleman of St. Louis.
In their latest campaign finance reports, Jackson's $137,930 on hand trailed Loudon's $255,368. Montee led all with $554,518. Coleman trailed everyone with just $30,850 and her recent behavior leaves most observers to expect her to drop out of the race soon.
3 Comments:
I really hope Maida Coleman stays in the Auditor's contest. She's a qualified and respected legislative leader, and it's time that Democrats be made to put up or shut up about their willingness to share power with African Americans. I've had enough of the monied power brokers and the media reporters in their pockets (you know, somebody who releases a years-old story to embarrass the grassroots candidate exactly at the time of her announcement) bullying a candidate like Maida out of the contest. I hate to use the word Hillary got in hot water for using, but the Democrataic party continues to look a lot like an old southern plantation.
1:19 PM, February 05, 2006
I agree that the state Democratic party has gotten away way too long without backing a black candidate for a statewide office. No doubt about it.
But there is also the issue of electable candidates.
It was fucked up how Coleman got pummeled in newspapers across the state. But then also, Maida knew before anyone else about her personal financial history. And perhaps, if she was serious about being a viable statewide candidate, she should have chosen a different office to run for -- or maybe Richard Callow should have adviced her to come clean about her bankruptcy before Jake Wagman reported it.
The Post was right to report on the financial history of a candidate for State Auditor. But you know and I know that there are things out there on other candidates that somehow don't get reported. We also know that there is a double standard at the Post as to what is a scandal.
But back to this case, Maida might have survived the financial stuff. You're right, it's old and it can be spun into a story of success -- a poor black woman on her own, lifts herself to the highest levels of state government... yadda, yadda, yadda.
But first, she should've started raising money at least a year ago. She should've announced her intentions early and not straddled the fence as long as she did.
But her fate was sealed by letting it be known that she may run for City licence collector.
It appears to everyone now that she's just looking for a job. And it triggered a bit of a backlash from those that think that McMillan deserves to be the sole black candidate.
Bottomline: She doesn't have the money or the political support to win that office.
3:31 PM, February 05, 2006
I think Maida announced her intentions for Auditor about as promptly as she could have under the circumstances. A year ago Claire McCaskill was still a candidate for reelection to that post. Could Maida or any other candidate have realistically raised money for a contest that would have then been a challenge to an incumbent from her own party?
10:21 PM, February 05, 2006
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