MONTEE CITES BIG RURAL WINS; SAYS MISSOURI READY FOR CHANGE

(ST. JOSEPH, MO) – In a statement today, State Auditor-Elect Susan Montee pointed to large wins in rural Missouri, saying they indicate that Missouri is ready for more Democratic leadership. Her November 7th win is the second largest off-year victory in Missouri history, missing Claire McCaskill’s 2002 record – set in her run against convicted felon Al Hansen – by fewer than 8,000 votes.

“Often, statewide Democratic candidates have relied on urban voters to carry them through elections, but we believed rural Missouri would respond to my message and they did,” Montee said. “It was particularly gratifying, for example, to win nearly every county in the northern half of the state.”

Montee further pointed out that The Montee Law Firm, founded by her husband James, is the largest firm serving rural Missouri. “We have been serving rural, working class Missourian’s for years. They know us, see us in their communities, and know that we care about the things that are important to them. That translated into a lot of votes.”

A few facts about the election:

• Montee won with 1,083,528 votes, the largest vote total this year.
• Montee won 65 out of 114 counties; as well as St. Louis City and Kansas City, which are counted separately.
• Removing the votes from St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Kansas City and Jackson County, Montee still won the remainder of the state.
• Montee won 41 counties that were not won by the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate.
• Montee received a greater share of the vote than the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in every county except for one. That county was Worth, where the Progressive Party candidate came in second and the Republican candidate came in third.

Doesn't everything seem just a little bit brighter after Tuesday's big wins around the country? Thank you so much for your support. We started over a year ago, seeking to run a campaign based on qualifications. I'm proud to say that we managed to do that, and the voters responded by electing me with a margin of over 189,000 votes. I can't begin to tell you how gratifying that is.

As pleased as I am about the results of my race, I am probably just as happy that we are sending Claire McCaskill to the U.S. Senate. Her victory will be a giant boost for our state and our nation. I look forward to working with her to build an even better Missouri.

The next few months will be filled with transition activities. The campaign is in the process of closing shop, which will entail lots of sign collection -- we are asking people to let me know about signs in their areas and will do our best to collect them over the next few weeks. We have also finished the campaign with a large debt, and will be doing what we can to retire it.

As the full-time Buchanan County auditor, there is much to do here at home. Nancy Nash is taking my place and I will be working with her as she prepares to assume office in January.

Finally -- and this is the most exciting part -- I am getting ready to start work in Jefferson City. There will be much to do, but I feel ready to do the work of the people of Missouri. Together, there is nothing we can not accomplish.

Thank you again.

- Susan

Susan Montee
Montee for Auditor
SusanPersonal@SusanMontee.com
816-671-0380

Thomas concedes Missouri auditor race to Montee

Democrat Susan Montee was poised to win the Missouri auditor’s race early Wednesday over Republican Sandra Thomas.

With 85 percent of the precincts reporting, Montee led with 52.7 percent of the vote, compared with 43.4 percent for Thomas.

Thomas conceded the race around midnight and called to congratulate Montee.

“It was a real tough year for Republicans, and we were outspent 2-1,” said Thomas, who survived a hard-fought primary. “We did a great job to get where we were.”

Montee celebrated with supporters at Democratic headquarters in downtown St. Joseph.

“The whole race we ran has all been about experience and qualifications,” Montee said. “I feel real good about the support we’ve gotten because it means people understood the technical nature of the office and what it takes to be an effective auditor.”

Thomas, 40, is the auditor in Platte County; Montee, 47, is the Buchanan County auditor. It was each candidate’s first try for state office. Both are CPAs, and Montee is also a lawyer.

Libertarian Charles Baum had 2.8 percent of the vote, and Progressive Party candidate Terry Bunker picked up 1.1 percent.

The state auditor keeps tabs on the finances of 200 state agencies, 400 cities, 89 counties and the state judiciary system. The office can be a springboard, with former Auditors Kit Bond and John Ashcroft going on to become governors — and U.S. senators.

During the campaign, Thomas and Montee traded accusations about each other’s accounting capabilities.

Thomas criticized Montee for being late filing her personal property tax form with the county last year, though taxes were paid on time, and she also made an issue of Montee filing a late annual report for her husband’s law firm.

Thomas said the lapses raised questions about Montee’s ability to monitor state money as state auditor. Montee downplayed the oversights, saying they were minor.

Montee chided Thomas for an outside audit that held Thomas’ office accountable for a $195,000 discrepancy in Platte County’s books last year. She also said Thomas was a hypocrite for proposing that the state auditor be a CPA when Thomas has only been a CPA for the last four years of her 12 years as county auditor.

Thomas faulted the county treasurer for the $195,000 error. Her campaign said her suggestion that the auditor be a CPA only applied to the state job, not the county auditor.

Thomas campaigned hard on the notion that voters should pass a constitutional amendment requiring the auditor to be a CPA. Montee said there are already CPAs on staff.

Montee argued that she was better-qualified because she is also a lawyer who would be able to see and avoid legal conflicts.

Thomas said she has the better financial track record, citing accounting awards.

Montee said she would audit sometimes-overlooked programs, such as the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and the state worker’s compensation fund.