Obviously, Sen. Chris Koster thinks he's already got the Republican nomination for Attorney General wrapped up. Why else flip the bird to the most fervent activist wing of the GOP primary voting base by taking a whopping minimum of $210,000 from stem cell research interests at the front end of his first statewide bid?

Made public today, Koster's Missouri Ethics Commission report [1] included the following contribution entries:

[2]

James Stowers Main Street Kansas City, MO 64111 The Stowers Institute

01/02/2007 - - - - - 125000.00

$125,000.00 Monetary

Supporters of Health Research & Treatments P.O.Box 69074 St. Louis, MO 63169

01/01/2007 - - - - - 75000.00

$75,000.00 Monetary

William H. Danforth Clayton, MO 63105 Retired

1/2/2007 - - - - - 10000.00

$10,000.00 Monetary

In case you're unfamiliar with these names and organizations, they represent the most notable supporters of stem cell research bioscience in the state. These are, in every meaningful way, the folks responsible for the Amendment 2 initiative last year which successfully protected research in Missouri's Constitution.

While Koster will undoubtedly find the cash useful during his campaign, his having taken it will probably not be very useful to him during the primary. Remember that Missouri Right to Life is actively seeking primary opponents for GOP Senators who do so little for research as support an end to debate on the MOHELA sale. They may mobilize a small army against a statewide Republican candidate who takes nearly a quarter-million dollars from what they refer to as "cloning" interests.