Attack ads on Steelman funded by Blunt backer; A4BA committee terminated

When the pop-up political committee Americans for a Better America (A4BA) began airing attack ads on State Treasurer Sarah Steelman last month, it wasn't immediately clear who was behind them.

With the committee's filing of a campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission last week, we now know one man is behind the ads - Southeastern Missouri business executive Jerry Hall.

Hall serves as Executive Vice President of Jack Henry & Associates, a firm that specializes in integrated data processing systems for banks.

The ads altogether cost Hall $125,000. A total of $101,000 went to Patrick Media in Marshfield for the actual ads, $14,000 to Levy & Craig in legal fees, and $5,000 to each of the committee's public representatives, Arthur Filmore and Steve Gildehaus.

Hall was a prominent backer of the Matt Blunt establishment and donated $75,000 to Blunt's campaign during the brief period last year when campaign finance caps were removed under state law. Those caps have since been reinstated until the end of August and during that time Hall made maximum contributions to Congressman Kenny Hulshof, Steelman's opponent, and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

Nationally, according to the Federal Election Commission's database, Hall has been a prominent supporter of the Republican National Committee, George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney's failed bid for the Republican nomination during the current election cycle. Those records indicate Hall dumped $63,950 into national Republican political races since 2000.

The A4BA committee has now been terminated according to a filing with the Ethics Commission.

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