By Joe Hadsall

Globe columnist

For the second reporting period in a row, Attorney General Jay Nixon has maintained a fund-raising lead in his quest to be the next governor of Missouri.

Nixon raised about $1.8 million between April and July, according to reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. That outpaces his main Republican competitors: U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, raised about $1.5 million, and Treasurer Sarah Steelman raised about $887,000.

The bigger difference comes in the size of the candidates’ war chests. Steelman has $711,055 ready to spend, and Hulshof has $1,149,641. Nixon blows the two out of the water, with $3,754,169.52 ready to be spent sometime after the primary election.

Nixon has been raising money for this race for at least two years. What helps him is the tough race between Hulshof and Steelman, who spent nearly as much as they raised over the last three months. Steelman reported $886,901 in expenditures; Hulshof reported spending $1,047,087.

Hulshof and Steelman will file updated information a few days before the Aug. 5 primary, as required by law.

The same type of situation can be found in the race for attorney general. Sen. Mike Gibbons, considered the Republican front-runner, has $378,599 ready to spend after the primary election. He reported contributions of $273,935 and expenditures of $288,182.

His three Democratic competitors are spending all their money against each other:

n Rep. Jeff Harris raised $119,762 and spent $207,305.43. He has a war chest of $372,491.

n Sen. Chris Koster raised $329,918.84 and spent $244,938.49. He has a war chest of $863,926.

n Rep. Margaret Donnelly raised $216,118 and spent $302,318. She has a war chest of $534,546.

Among our local legislators, only one of them has election competition.

Here’s what all of them raised and spent in the last three months:

n Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, raised $6,175 and spent $3,287. He has a war chest of $8,237. Emery is running against Democrat Linda Marie Crane, of Greenfield, in the general election. He received $2,175 from seven different education-related PACs financed by Rex Sinquefield, director of the school-choice favoring Show-Me Institute. Emery’s donations include $300 to U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof’s campaign and $250 to Public Administrator Rita Hunter’s campaign.

n Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage, is the sole candidate running to replace Rep. Steve Hunter for District 127 state representative. He raised $1,650, spent $1,558 and has a war chest of $5,425. Donors who made the maximum donation of $325 include the Freeman Physicians Group, Joplin-based Laborer’s Local Union No. 319 and the St. Louis-based Home Building Industry PAC. Flanigan donated $50 to Jasper County Eastern District Commissioner Jim Honey and reimbursed himself $401 for a Republican state convention and campaign school. He also spent $904 for campaign materials.

n Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, has a war chest of $10,414 in his race for the Carl Junction R-1 Board of Education, which will occur in April 2009. Hunter, who term-limits out of the House this year, reported no contributions and $2,154 in spending. His largest expenditure was $307 which bought a gift card for an intern.

n Speaker-elect Ron Richard, R-Joplin, raised $12,600 and spent $18,934. He has a war chest of $152,510. Donations of $4,700 came from four different campaign committees of other candidates. His expenses include $6,475 in contributions to other campaign committees, including $1,350 to Hulshof, $650 to Sen. Gary Nodler and $1,300 to Sen. Mike Gibbons, who is running for attorney general. He also reimbursed himself $3,646 in travel expenses.

n Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, raised $2,725 and spent $10,682.38. She has a war chest of $72,274. She received $1,300 from four of Sinquefield-funded committees and $325 from Hunter (who disclosed the donation in the previous period’s report). Of her expenses, $8,985 was donated, including $100 to Gibbons, $500 to Hulshof, $500 to Rita Hunter, who is running for re-election to the office of Jasper County public administrator, $100 to Honey and $325 to Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland, who is running for re-election. She made even larger donations to the legislative committees for the districts represented by Emery ($1,225), Steve Hunter ($3,100) and herself ($1,525).

n Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, raised $11,075 and spent $10,117.03. He has a war chest of $4,361. Stevenson again raked in a haul from Sinquefield — $7,475 from 23 of his PACs. He donated $1,350 to Gibbons, $650 to Rita Hunter and $50 to Hulshof.

n Rep. Kevin Wilson, raised $1,700 and spent $4,579. He has a war chest of $27,404. He reported contributions of $325 from the Freeman Physicians Group and from the Missouri State Teachers Association. Wilson in this year’s legislative session sponsored a bill dealing with collective bargaining supported by the MSTA. He donated $1,350 to Hulshof and $500 to Gibbons.

n Sen. Jack Goodman, Mount Vernon, raised $7,275 and spent $13,647. He has a war chest of $52,996. He reported $2,900 of his spending went to the legislative committee for his senatorial district. He also contributed $325 to Richard, $2,000 to the Majority Fund and $100 to Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin.

n Nodler, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, raised $13,443 and spent $17,336. He has a war chest of $101,627. His largest contribution was $1,000 from the Downstream Casino Resort, the new casino that opened last month in Ottawa County, Okla. He made donations of $1,350 to Hulshof, $100 to Honey, $100 to Copeland, $675 to the legislative committee that represents his district and $175 to the committee that represents Richard’s district.