The most expensive down-ballot race in the country pits some of the most influential figures in the national conservative movement against the wealthiest political boosters in Missouri.
In the closing days before the state’s Aug. 6 Republican Party primary, competing political action committees are flooding the airwaves with attack ads against Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and his challenger for the office, Will Scharf.
According to Federal Communications Commission records in Missouri’s media markets, most of that spending is being made by two PACs: Defend Missouri and Liberty and Justice PAC.
Defend Missouri, Scharf’s ally, is backed by conservative activist Leonard Leo and other national donors. Liberty and Justice, which is backing Bailey, is primarily financed by local political power brokers….