$400K donation boosts one candidate's campaign for St. Charles County Executive race

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - A big-name, big-money race for 2026 is already taking shape. 

A new mega-donation is certainly turning heads. 

The Republican Primary for St. Charles County Executive isn’t until August 2026—still more than a year and a half away. 

"It’s going to be a crowded field. There’s going to be large names probably involved,” Republican candidate Jason Law said.

Law is the Mayor of Lake St. Louis and is one of those names planning to run for the office.

His campaign just landed a monster donation: $400,000 from St. Louis County Political Financer Michael Rayner, for whom policing is the issue beyond all issues. Law is also a Lt. Col. for the St. Louis County Police Department.

"If you want growth in business, if you want safe schools, it’s got to be built on a foundation of safety,” Law said. “People want two things in their everyday life for their families. They want a safe community and good schools.”

Current County Executive Steve Ehlmann, known for sparring with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones over policing and public safety in the city, will retire in 2026 after 20 years in office. 

Three people have already filed campaign committees to succeed him—all Republicans—though they can’t officially file to run for the office for another 13 months. 

New campaign finance reports show Law’s campaign committee had about $32,000 cash on hand from small donors. Rayner’s new large contribution of $400,000 boosts it by more than 10-times. 

The committee for former State Sen. Bill Eigel, who lost his bid for Missouri governor last year and has also set up a committee for a potential run for Congress in 2026, reports more than $37,000 cash on hand. It is mostly in small donations from out-of-state retirees, with no large contributions so far in 2025. 

The committee for St. Charles County Council Chairman Mike Elam reports a little more than $18,000 cash on hand, also with no new mega-donations like Law’s.

“I just need 400 people to give me $1,000 to make up for it,” Elam said, smiling.

He disagreed that crime, in a low-crime county, is the most pressing issue.

“The average price of a home in St. Charles County is $413,000,” Elam said. “The average price of a new home is $600,000. If you’re a person in your mid-20’s, male or female, straight out of college, you can’t afford that. Our kids are leaving.”

Law added, “My message resonates because of what has happened in the past in our region. Bringing crime under control is the only way St. Louis is going to grow, and St. Charles County is in that region."

Eigel did not respond to our interview request.