It was a quarter in which Republican candidates for governor should have been raising money hand over fist and closing the funding gap between themselves and Jay Nixon.  Q2 of 2008 was the last full quarter leading up to the August primary and all the heat and light of the Missouri political scene was focused on their race.  Yet, when all the contributions were tallied and reported, the Republicans hadn't capitalized on the advantage, and Democrat Jay Nixon very nearly outraised the combined totals of the two Republican hopefuls.

As reported everywhere, Jay Nixon raised about $1.75 million [1] this quarter past, while Kenny Hulshof hauled in about $1.48 million [2] and Sarah Steelman posted a paltry $289,000 [3].  Even in combination, the GOP candidates raised only a few thousand more than Nixon did on his own.­

If it wasn't already clear enough from polling data that show Nixon with commanding leads [4] over whichever flawed Republican candidate ultimately gets the nomination, the recent fundraising figures go even further in proving that Missourians are ready for a change at the top of state government.  And they believe Jay Nixon has fundamentally different priorities than the ones that have led the state down the path we're on [4] and on which Republicans would like to continue.

Sometimes a look at the scoreboard, like the one we got yesterday via Ethics Commission reports, can tell us an awful lot.