This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 10, 2013 - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is back in St. Louis tonight to headline a fundraiser for state Rep. Stacey Newman, D-Richmond Heights.
According to a political spokeswoman, Newman is the latest of roughly half a dozen Democratic legislators who have received help from Koster in the last six months, in the form of his presence at their fundraising events.
“He has confidence in her ability to represent the interests of the district and the interests of the state,’’ said political spokeswoman Rachel Levine.
Newman's district is heavily Democratic, so it's unlikely that she would face a strong GOP challenge in the 2014 election. But Koster may have other reasons for helping her out.
Koster already has announced plans to run for governor in 2016. He is a Democrat but was a Republican until 2007. In part to show his Democratic commitment, Koster has pledged to help raise $400,000 for Democratic legislative candidates and office-holders.
He has said he's already fulfilled at least a quarter of that promise.
Appearing with Newman, a prominent Democratic activist -- she was in Washington last week with other women legislators to protest the shutdown -- could help Koster strengthen ties with the region's progressive Democrats.
Some remain wary of him because of his party switch and narrow 2008 victory in the Democratic primary for attorney general against another progressive woman, then-Rep. Margaret Donnelly, D-Richmond Heights. Some of Donnelly's allies remained angry for some time.
Levine said Koster already has appeared this year at fundraising events for state Rep. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, who is running for the state Senate; state Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart, who also is running for the state Senate; and state Rep. Steve Hodges, D-East Prairie, who made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in June. And he made several stops for Kansas City area Democrats as well.
The spokeswoman added that Koster's future schedule also includes appearances at more fundraisers to help more legislative Democrats. Besides helping them, the attorney general may end up helping himself as well.
