MEMORANDUM

 
DATE:  1/03/2011  

Steelman:  Supported  by  Prominent  Democrat  Donors  

 

This is the third in a series of publicly released memos designed to

expose a candidate who does not represent the Tea Party.

TAKING MONEY FROM DEMOCRATS

Sarah  Steelman's  so  called  'Tea  Party'  credentials  are  purely  fraudulent.  Not  only  
has  Sarah  Steelman  accepted  enormous  sums  money  from  trial  lawyers  and  labor  
unions,  she  has  never  been  above  collecting  big  contributions  from  prominent  
Democrats.    
 
Conservative  activists  and  the  media  need  to  be  asking:  why  would  Democrats  
leaders  be  contributing  thousands  of  dollars  of  their  money  to  Sarah  Steelman's  
campaign?  There  is  a  simple  answer.  They  know  that  Sarah  Steelman  is  a  fraudulent  
conservative  -­‐  she  is  willing  to  vote  against  conservative  causes  if  she  is  given  a  
financial  incentive  to  do  so.  
 
Example  1:  Stephen  Bough,  Chair  of  the  Jackson  County  Democratic  Committee  
 
Stephen  Bough  was  one  of  a  number  of  Democrat  trial  lawyers  who  funded  a  
Political  Action  Committee  that  gave  more  than  $100,000  to  Sarah  Steelman's  
campaign.  Bough  personally  contributed  $1,275  of  his  own  money  in  May  2008.  
 
It's  almost  unheard  of  for  a  Democrat,  elected  to  a  position  of  party  leadership,  to  
defy  his  party  and  its  candidates  by  giving  financial  support  to  a  Republican.  
 
Example  2:  Indicted  Democrat  Developer  John  Steffen  
 
In  2004,  Sarah  Steelman  reported  $6,750  in  contributions  from  companies  and  PACs  
operated  by  John  Steffen,  a  prominent  Democrat  and  St.  Louis  Developer  who  was  
recently  indicted  for  fraud.  In  2006  she  accepted  an  additional  $1,025  in  
contributions  from  three  of  Steffen's  employees,  all  made  during  a  period  of  24  
hours.  
 
As  chair  of  the  Missouri  Housing  Development  Commission,  which  gave  Steffen  
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  in  tax  credits,  Sarah  Steelman  should  have  
returned  all  of  these  contributions  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  a  conflict  of  interest,  
and  to  show  that  she  does  not  represent  the  interests  of  wealthy  Democrat  political  
developers  whose  livelihoods  are  based  on  government  largesse.  But  she  declined  to  
do  so.  
 
Example  2:  Democrats  at  All  Levels  are  Supporting  Sarah  Steelman  
 
Whether  we’re  talking  about  a  prominent  local  businessman,  a  local  or  a  statewide  
politician  –  Democrats  at  all  levels  in  the  party  have  been  lining  up  to  write  big  
checks  to  Sarah  Steelman.  The  following  are  just  a  few  examples:  
 
-­‐Tim  Dollar  (Democrat,  Prominent  KC  Lawyer)  -­‐  $2,400  
-­‐Chris  Koster  (Democrat,  Attorney  General  and  Party  Switcher)  -­‐$1,000  
-­‐Sly  James  (Democrat,  Candidate  for  KC  Mayor)  -­‐  $1,200  
-­‐Jim  Kanatzar  (Democrat,  Jackson  County  Prosecutor)  -­‐  $2,400  
 
Sarah  Steelman's  willingness  to  accept  large  amounts  of  money  from  groups  and  
individuals  who  oppose  everything  she  claims  to  support  is  a  serious  and  
devastating  blow  to  her  credentials  as  a  conservative  activist.  Hundreds  of  
thousands  of  dollars  in  contributions  from  Democrats  and  special  interests  are  a  
testament  to  her  role  as  a  consummate  political  insider  -­‐  from  the  same  brand  of  
failed  politicians  that  were  soundly  defeated  in  the  2008  elections.