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Up To Date

Missouri Secretary Of State Advocates For Ethics Changes

Missouri Secretary of State's Office

The campaign money's flowing in Missouri. Or could you say "gushing?"

On Thursday June 27, Attorney General Chris Koster, an early favorite to become the next governor of Missouri, picked up $25,000 from a Kansas City law firm and $12,500 more from an eastern Missouri labor union.

The day before, state Auditor Tom Schweich picked up $10,000 from a St. Louis area business owner.

Contributions of that size are pretty routine in Missouri thanks to what Secretary of State Jason Kander calls “the worst set of ethics and campaign laws in the country." As secretary of state, Jason Kander is also the state's chief elections officer and joins Steve Kraske on Friday's Up to Date to discuss campaign finance reform and ethics.

Jason Kander, 32, was sworn in as Missouri's 39th Secretary of State in January 2013. A former U.S. Army Captain, Jason is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Prior to his election as Secretary of State, he practiced law, represented Kansas City in the Missouri General Assembly, and served on the Missouri Veterans Commission. He is a graduate of American University and Georgetown Law School and is married to his high school sweetheart, Diana. He is America's youngest statewide elected official.

Stephen Steigman is director of Classical KC. You can email him at <a href="mailto:Stephen.Steigman@classicalkc.org">Stephen.Steigman@classicalkc.org</a>.
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.