White leads O’Brian in fundraising as state Senate race ramps up

Joplin Globe (MO)

July 22--The two Republican candidates running to replace Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, in the Missouri Senate's District 32 both raised more than $100,000 from April to July, according to quarterly campaign finance reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission on Monday.

Rep. Bill White, R-Joplin, and Rob O'Brian, the former president of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, reported raising $117,290 and $106,529, respectively. In total, White reported having $216,226 remaining in his campaign account. O'Brian had $69,377.

The two are running to replace Richard, who reached his term limit this year. White is a legislative veteran who has served in the state House since 2010 and reached his term limit this year.

"We've done a pretty well-rounded financial campaign," White said. "The main point of (fundraisers) is we want people to come in and get to know us."

White's contributions mainly came from the health care industry, with several area physicians donating. His wife is a neurosurgeon at Freeman Health System. The Missouri Growth PAC and the Mo Majority PAC both donated $2,500. White also loaned himself $100,000.

"I do a lot of health care and health insurance law, and I think generally (health officials) agree with my policies," White said. "I think in general I have a conservative approach and a pro-business approach."

O'Brian announced his candidacy earlier this year. He resigned as president of the chamber, a post he had held since 1995, when he announced his candidacy. Despite the late start, O'Brian said he's feeling confident with just over two weeks to go before the election.

"I feel very upbeat," O'Brian said. "We had a goal that we wanted to achieve for the campaign, and we are still on track."

O'Brian's biggest contributors included the Missouri Chamber PAC, Missouri Republican Leadership PAC and the Associated Industries of Missouri PAC. In total, O'Brian received $15,400 from political action committees.

Other donations to O'Brian came from people in the business and insurance industries. David Humphreys, CEO of Joplin's TAMKO Building Products, and his wife, Debra, both gave O'Brian the maximum allowed amount of $2,600.

"We've said from the beginning that our message is about job growth," O'Brian said. "Those business organizations wanted to be supportive, and we appreciate that."

The White vs. O'Brian contest is the highest-profile legislative race in the Joplin metropolitan area, and the winner of the GOP primary is likely to face little competition in the general election. There is one Democrat and one Green Party candidate on the ballot, both of whom face no opposition in their primaries.

Their names will appear on the ballot along with the hotly contested right-to-work referendum, a law passed by the Legislature in 2017 that was put on hold after a political action group organized a petition drive to put the law before voters. Under the law, workers cannot be compelled to join a union or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment.

Proponents argue the bill provides "worker freedom," while opponents argue it will decrease union membership and drive down wages.

White has supported right-to-work measures throughout his eight years in the Legislature and is a firm believer that it's good for the state.

"Part of right-to-work is that it allows workers who aren't happy with their current union (to) make a new one," he said. "The idea that it's going to decimate collective bargaining ... that's fear-mongering."

O'Brian also indicated, in less direct terms, his support for right to work. He said in his 23 years of experience in the business industry, the law has had a strong influence on bringing businesses to the state.

"My experience trying to lure companies to Missouri, and particularly to Southwest Missouri, is that not being a right-to-work state has probably at least cost us opportunities," O'Brian said. "What we would hear from consultants is, 'Here are a number of projects that are out there, and here is the number that just basically declined to consider Missouri.'"

Voters will decide the fate of right-to-work on Aug. 7, but that may not be the end of the fight. The Legislature could pass a right-to-work law again in the 2019 session, although White said that's unlikely. Still, he'd sponsor the bill if he's elected, he said.

"The Legislature voted the right way to make us a right-to-work state," White said. "I firmly believe we should be a right-to-work state, and I think my constituents believe we should be a right-to-work state."

For O'Brian, he said it wouldn't be his first priority if elected.

"I would say, 'the voters have spoken,'" O'Brian said. "My perspective is that a lot of our state incentive programs to help businesses grow and to attract new business to the state are more than a decade old ... and we really need to do more to get that current with the times."

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