Missouri for Missourians, Not Hidden Donors

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One of the most frustrating aspects of elections in Missouri is the volatile mix of hypocrisy and hidden money. Many legislators rail against “out-of-state billionaires” funding ballot initiatives while turning a blind eye to the millions flowing in from dark money groups that fortify their own causes.

These dark-money groups, organized under nonprofit shells, are not required to disclose their donors. That means we don’t know whether the money comes from wealthy individuals in other states, multinational corporations, or even foreign countries. The result: Missourians are left in the dark about who is really pushing ads into their TVs, radios, emails, and online ads.

Take Missouri Senate “Freedom Caucus” leader Nick Schroer, for example. He wrote that, “For years, Missouri’s constitution has been hijacked by out-of-state billionaires with radical woke agendas, pumping millions upon millions into our state to lie to voters and shred our most sacred legal document.” Yet when the Concord Fund — a dark money group tied to right-wing judicial activist Leonard Leo — funneled $1 million into opposing Missouri’s reproductive freedom amendment, Schroer’s outrage suddenly went silent. Crickets.

That’s the double standard in plain view. Lawmakers who rail against “California money” or “New York money” when voters use their constitutional right to petition shrug indifferently when anonymous groups flood our airwaves with attack ads. They demand transparency from others while hiding behind their own secret piles of money.

If hypocrisy were pocket change, politicians like Nick Schroer would be billionaires. In today’s political climate, hypocrisy is no longer considered a liability; on the contrary, it has become a badge of honor.

Missourians deserve better. Voters have a right to know who is trying to shape their decisions on issues that matter most: healthcare, education, workers’ rights, and reproductive freedom. If the principle is that Missouri should be governed by Missourians, then it must apply across the board, not just when it benefits one side.

That’s why ordinary citizens, taxpayers, and voters must lean into a simple demand: no hidden influences in our elections. Full transparency is the only way to protect Missouri’s democracy. If the General Assembly is serious about defending the integrity of our elections, it should ban dark money groups outright, or at the very least require every dollar spent to be traced back to its original source.

When lawmakers only crack down on outside influence when it hurts them — and ignore it when it helps — they’re not protecting Missourians. They’re protecting themselves. That isn’t democracy; it’s corruption in plain sight. Missouri belongs to its people, not to secret billionaire donors hiding in the shadows.

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