By KWMU
St. Louis, MO – State Senator Maida Coleman of St. Louis dropped out of the race for Missouri Auditor on Tuesday. She's instead endorsing fellow Democrat Susan Montee, the Buchanan County Auditor.
Coleman says she dropped out because of lackluster donor support and a need for a united party. She has also mulled running for an office in St. Louis City, but has not yet filed.
Tuesday was the first day candidates could file to run in the August Primary in Missouri.
On the Republican side, four candidates filed for Auditor on Tuesday: State Representatives Jack Jackson, of Wildwood, and Mark Wright, of Springfield; State Senator John Loudon, of Ballwin, and Al Hanson, the surprise GOP nominee for Auditor in 2002. Hanson's surprise victory was followed by a refusal by the state GOP to endorse him because of his status as a convicted felon.
Current Auditor Claire McCaskill is not running for that office again to instead seek a U.S. Senate seat. She did not file Tuesday, nor did the incumbent, Republican Jim Talent.
One already-crowded local race is in the 4th State Senate district, in St. Louis City, where five Democrats filed yesterday. They are: Current state Representatives Yaphett El Amin and Amber Boykins; former state Representative Derio Gambaro; former St. Louis Alderman Kenny Jones; and political scientist Jeff Smith, who ran a close second in a race for Congress two years ago.