Editor’s Note: This report concludes a three-part Quill investigation into outside political action committee (PAC) spending in local August primary races. The Quill does not endorse candidates; all findings are based on Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) filings, legislative journals and on-the-record interviews with Republican 154th District candidates Lisa Durnell and Travis Smith.
A political action committee, We the People Priorities PAC, spent nearly $300,000 mailing oppositional flyers across Missouri, targeting primary candidates including incumbent 154th District Rep. Lisa Durnell. Durnell, of Willow Springs, is seeking reelection, and faces a challenge in Tuesday’s primary race from West Plains native Travis Smith.
The PAC’s spending was detailed in required pre-primary disclosures filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) on Monday. In Part 2 of this series the Quill examined the policy motives behind the opposition campaign, which was bankrolled by statewide donors to the Jefferson City-based PAC, including St. Louis mega-donor Rex Sinquefield.
When the flyers targeting Durnell landed in Howell County mailboxes during the first week of July, local voters questioned who was funding the group behind them. Some wondered whether her primary opponent was connected to the campaign.
The Quill spoke to Smith by phone and asked him directly if he ever communicated in any way with We the People Priorities PAC or its treasurer, Marc Ellinger.
“Nope, none,” Smith said. “I don’t even know who those people are.”
Like Durnell, Smith expressed deep frustration over third-party attack ads. Despite their policy differences, the two candidates share common ground on campaign tactics: both agree that local voters should evaluate candidates based on legislative records and direct conversations — not flyers sent by capital city special interests.
Asked what he wants voters to understand most about the source of the attack mailers, Smith emphasized the lack of local control over outside spending.
“They come from third parties and we have no control,” Smith said. “ I really hate that we have no control over what they say — especially when the message is contrary to what we say.”
Drawing a parallel from his business background as former co-owner of Southern Hills Shopping Center, Smith recalled his process for hiring contractors. He explained that when he interviewed a prospective worker for a project, he listened carefully to their focus. If a prospect used that time to tear down a competitor rather than highlighting the quality of their own work, Smith said, “I probably wasn’t gonna hire ‘em.”
Smith maintained his campaign focuses on his own platform rather than attacking his opponent.
In an emailed statement to the Quill, he emphasized that legal accountability lies strictly with official candidate communications.
"The only message we control is our own," he wrote. "Our campaign is accountable for every piece of communication that comes directly from us, and that is where our focus has remained throughout this election."
Smith elaborated on state campaign finance laws governing independent expenditures.
“Missouri law prohibits coordination between a candidate and an independent expenditure PAC,” Smith noted, emphasizing that candidates cannot direct, approve or influence independent communications. “A candidate cannot control who chooses to support them — or who chooses not to. Just as we cannot tell an organization to spend money on our behalf, we cannot tell one to stop spending money, either.”
He urged voters to separate official campaign platforms from outside mailer campaigns.
"Voters should judge our campaign by what we have said, what we have done, and the official communications that come directly from us — not by the actions of independent organizations over which we have no control," Smith added.
Regarding the PAC’s motives, Smith speculated the efforts may stem from lobbying interests seeking specific outcomes in Jefferson City. Regardless of political pressures, Smith said he remains committed to open communication, adding that effective representation relies on relationship-building.
Still, Smith expressed concern that third-party spending has shifted the primary's focus.
“What concerns me is that we had no say,” he told the Quill. “I don’t know what their intentions are, and I wish they wouldn’t have done that.”
Addressing statewide political campaign finance, Smith called for greater transparency.
"We have to work on ways to change things,” he said. “People deserve to know where the money comes from."
Smith also addressed local rumors citing FollowTheMoney.org — a state-level political contribution database archived under OpenSecrets — which reported more than $300,000 associated with his name. Smith maintained his current campaign operates on a modest budget, stating, "We don't have $300,000."
A review of archived campaign finance records confirms that the $337,558 figure listed on aggregate research sites represents Smith's cumulative lifetime fundraising across all previous campaigns — including past State House and State Senate runs — rather than funds available for his current District 154 primary committee.
Smith encouraged voters to review campaign finances directly through official state databases rather than third-party aggregators. "I’ll even show them step-by-step how to do that," he said.
Official MEC filings confirm Smith's committee, organized May 15, operates on a standard grassroots budget separate from independent PAC expenditures.
Just as Smith directed voters to public ethics filings, Durnell pointed constituents to official House Journal roll calls at house.mo.gov to verify her voting record.
While outside political action committees can spend significant money in attempts to influence rural primaries, the decision of who represents 154th District rests entirely with Howell County voters at the ballot box on Tuesday.
