Outside groups dominate spending in Missouri campaigns
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Large donations are flowing into Missouri through independent political action committees after voters amended the state constitution to cap contributions to individual candidates.
The Kansas City Star reports that individual candidates can only collect contributions that are less than the voter-imposed $2,600 limit. But independent PACs face no such restrictions, and donations often are made with no disclosure of where the money comes from.
"Regrettably, this is the new norm," said James Harris, a longtime Republican political consultant in Missouri. "And the casualty is the political process is much less transparent.