By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Governor Matt Blunt and Attorney General Jay Nixon both say they'll return campaign contributions that exceed limits reinstated by the Missouri Supreme Court earlier this year.
Both Blunt and Nixon are running for governor next year.
The Missouri Ethics Commission recently ruled that candidates for office had to return any over-the-limit contributions they received, or seek an exemption to keep them.
John Hancock, spokesman for Blunt's re-election campaign, says they're returning the money because they don't have a financial hardship.
"We're able to run our campaign, we're able to raise money, we're able to generate all the resources we need," Hancock said.
The Blunt campaign plans to return nearly $4.5 million in over-the-limit contributions by the end of the year. That's just over half of the $8.9 million raised so far.
"That's our intent...we've got to obviously do a full accounting, and make sure that we've got every donor and the right amount and the right address and all of those things, but as soon as it's practical we're going to return those contributions," Hancock said.
Oren Shur, a spokesman for Jay Nixon, says the campaign will return about $1.3 million in over-the-limit donations by year's end.
Nixon is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of Missouri next year. Blunt is seeking a second term in office.