Auctioneer leads money chase for Blunt's seat

Auctioneer Billy Long (R) said Tuesday that his lead in fundraising for Rep. Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) seat will continue to grow after third quarter reports are made official next week.

Long’s campaign said it will report just more than $400,000 cash on hand, which he predicted would help him expand his cash-on-hand advantage to around $200,000.

State Sen. Jack Goodman had about $150,000 cash on hand at the end of the second quarter but has yet to officially announced third-quarter totals. State Sen. Gary Nodler had about $100,000 on hand after the second quarter, which was his first quarter of fundraising.

Long reported $326,000 cash on hand after the second quarter. He said Tuesday that he has contributed $100,000 to his own campaign – a number that was already counted in previous reports. His campaign declined to release its fundraising receipts for the third quarter, but it should be similar to what it was in the second quarter, when he was just north of $100,000.

Blunt is running for Senate. The seat is not expected to be competitive in the general election.