At least two billboards – one in northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph and one in Jefferson City – target State Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph. According to St. Joseph television station KQTV the advertisements say “Did you know? Rob Schaaf lived with a lobbyist?”
The billboards say they are paid for by Darlington Road Corporation, which could be used to shield the identity of the true investor.
Schaaf weighed in on Twitter today about who he thinks is the financial backer of the advertisements.
The message is not what is ON the billboards. The message IS the billboards. They are dark money fighting for survival, corruption desperately trying to stay in power. #moleg
— Rob Schaaf (@robschaaf) April 20, 2018
Schaaf is serving his final year in the legislature. He has been a harsh critic of fellow Republican Governor Eric Greitens by urging Greitens time and time again to release donor information concealed by a political action committee. He has led the charge on a proposed ban of lobbyist gifts to state elected officials. Schaaf, a family physician, has also been a leading force against a statewide prescription drug monitoring program.
According to a 2016 St. Louis Post-Dispatch story, it’s not uncommon for legislators to bond with lobbyists.