With the Aug. 3 primary just around the corner, candidates for the Missouri House filed campaign finance disclosures with the state ethics commission earlier this week.

The filings show an increase in spending, primarily on advertising, just before the election.

Across all the House primary races, current 109th District Rep. Scott Dieckhaus' campaign has been the big spender.

During the latest reporting period, which runs July 15 to 26, eight days before the election, Dieckhaus' campaign received $15,650 in contributions, plus nearly $1,000 more on Tuesday, July 27.

The largest contributions included $4,500 from Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield and $1,000 from both the AmerenUE political action committee and the Citizens for Timothy W. Jones campaign committee.

Rex Sinquefield is the founder and president of the Show-Me Institute, a conservative public policy research organization.

The incumbent spent $8,555.62 during that week-and-a-half-long period.

For the entire primary, Dieckhaus' campaign has spent almost $40,000 and received over $50,000.

Cindy McGee, Dieckhaus' challenger, trails him financially.

She received $3,210 during the period and spent only $788.

Overall she has spent only $7,252.27 and received $11,686.67 in contributions.

Over $3,000 of that has come from Gerard and Sue Hellebusch.

Sue Hellebusch is McGee's campaign treasurer.

In the 111th District, Dave Schatz is sitting on about $29,000.

During the last period he spent $3,068 and took in $3,325. Most of the money received, $3,000, came from Don Peterson, president of Peterson Oil Co., Sullivan.

Justin Charboneau spent all of the $980 he received in the last period and then some, totaling $1,484.26.

He only had $746.68 at the start of the period.

For the entire election, Schatz has spent almost $15,000 while Charboneau has spent almost $11,000.

In the 98th District race, Paul Arand and Dave Hinson both received small amounts during the last period.

Arand received only $700 and spent $1,454.84.

During the entire election he has received about $28,500 and spent almost $16,000.

Hinson received only $550 during the same period, but spent $6,085.85.

He has received about $22,000 during the election and spent over $20,000.

Both incumbents in the 98th and 111th districts, Brian Nieves and Charlie Schlottach, are term-limited.