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Befuddled Nixon Seeks Governor’s Leadership on Contributions

November 9, 2007

JEFFERSON CITY – Jay Nixon says he opposes unlimited contribution limits but the indecisive and hypocritical Democrat is so befuddled that he has turned to Gov. Matt Blunt seeking guidance on what to do with his contributions.

Nixon first promised to return the contributions then changed his tune by claiming that he wouldn’t return them unless the governor did – an assertion that Nixon repeated in a pathetic campaign release yesterday. Of course, Missourians are well aware that Nixon sabotaged the state’s case supporting campaign finance reforms that were backed by the governor and the Legislature.

“Jay Nixon is in a state of confusion about what to do with all the unlimited contributions that he opposed but still took. Things have gotten so bad for Jay Nixon that he is waiting for Governor Blunt to tell him what to do with political contributions,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “Jay Nixon’s inability to make decisions on his own is just another example of why his candidacy scares so many Missourians.”

Nixon’s involvement in the campaign finance legislation case has been a fiasco from the start. He openly opposed campaign finance reform legislation while it was debated by lawmakers and when it was later challenged in circuit court, he refused to appeal a decision overturning a contribution blackout period. The failure to appeal that decision ultimately led to a Missouri Supreme Court ruling to throw out the entire bill including much needed campaign finance reforms. Nixon later showed his true colors again by arguing that all unlimited contributions should be returned since that would benefit his campaign fundraising totals, which have lagged for months. Then there is the case of Nixon’s former chief of staff and campaign manager Chuck Hatfield, who represented the plaintiffs challenging the campaign finance reform legislation.