(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . PAC supporting Missouri attorney general candidate shifts its money to Club for Growth • Missouri Independent [1] ['Jason Hancock', 'More From Author', '- June'] Date: 2023-06 A political action committee created to support Will Scharf’s bid for Missouri attorney general has transferred nearly all of its money to a different PAC tied to the anti-tax nonprofit Club for Growth. Scharf is challenging Attorney General Andrew Bailey in the 2024 GOP primary. To boost his campaign, his supporters established a PAC called Defend Missouri that wouldn’t be subject to contributions limits that candidates must adhere to. Since forming in January, Defend Missouri has reported raising $575,000, with nearly all of that money coming from The Concord Fund, which was formerly known as Judicial Crisis Network and is funded by groups connected to longtime conservative legal activist and Scharf supporter Leonard Leo. Defend Missouri last week donated most of that money — $533,790 — to Club for Growth Action-Missouri Federal Committee. The PAC was created in May by Justin Smith, who most recently worked as chief of staff for former Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Kristen Sanocki, president of Defend Missouri, did not respond to requests for comment on the decision to transfer the money or whether Defend Missouri will remain active. A spokesman for Scharf’s campaign, which under state law can coordinate with independent PACs on fundraising but not on spending, could not be reached for comment. The Club for Growth, a national conservative anti-tax nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., has been active in Missouri through various entities for years. In 2022, its affiliated PAC spent nearly $2 million helping elect U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison in southwest Missouri. Four years earlier, it spent millions in support of Republican Josh Hawley’s successful U.S. Senate campaign. While its spending is typically focused on federal races, Club for Growth endorsed Scharf in April, highlighting his support for “Right to Work legislation, cuts to Missouri’s corporate income tax and defunding various special interest tax credits.” Scharf is a former assistant U.S. attorney and policy director in Gov. Eric Greitens’ brief administration. He is hoping to unseat Bailey, who was appointed attorney general in January after Schmitt resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. In April, when both candidates filed their most recent campaign finance disclosures, Bailey and Scharf each reported having roughly $1 million cash on hand between their candidate committees and independent PACs. The largest donor to Club for Growth in recent years is Richard Uihlein, a billionaire shipping and industrial supply company executive. He was also a major supporter of Greitens, continuing to donate to his political career even after he was forced to resign in 2018 to settle a felony charge and avoid impeachment. Most recently, Club for Growth has garnered attention nationally over disagreements with former President Donald Trump. The organization opposed Trump during his 2016 campaign but became an ally once he won the White House. It has been at odds with Trump over the last year after endorsing different candidates in Republican primaries. Trump won Missouri twice by huge margins. He has not weighed in on any of the state’s 2024 primaries. [END] --- [1] Url: https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/pac-supporting-missouri-attorney-general-candidate-shifts-its-money-to-club-for-growth/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/