This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 21, 2012 - Amid all the focus on GOP U.S. Senate nominee Todd Akin's remarks, the other Republican at the top of the Missouri ticket -- gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence -- is letting his wallet do his talking.
The Missouri Ethics Commission reported late Sunday that Spence has donated another $750,000 to his campaign to oust Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat. (Hat tip to blogger Randy Turner.)
All told, Spence has donated or lent close to $4 million to his campaign. (He lent the campaign $500,000 right before the Aug. 7 primary.)
Spence's infusion of personal cash comes as he has sought to elevate the profile of his contest -- calling Nixon "Mr. Obvious'' during a recent campaign rally.
The governor, in turn, so far has generally declined to engage. Nixon has delegated any attacks to the Missouri Democratic Party, which has continued to hammer at Spence's earlier missteps over an ad, his college degree and his former post on the board of a bank that has yet to repay its federal bailout money.
Except for a pre-primary ad, Nixon has continued to travel the state for official news conferences, generally foregoing any public campaign events. Nixon's chief campaign activity has been his private money-raising events, aimed in part at countering Spence's personal bankroll.
