A sharp-eyed reader noted the latest entry into the GOP governor’s race, M. Myers Mermel, and his wife, Jennifer, have both maxed out to the congressional campaign of state GOP Chair Ed Cox’s son, Chris.

Both Mermels gave two $2,400 contributions to “Chris Cox for Congress” on Jan. 20, according to Chris Cox’s FEC filing.

The Mermels, who aren’t prodigious political givers, according to the FEC database, also gave $2,400 apiece to Chris Cox’s erstwhile primary opponent, Gary Berntsen, on Feb. 15. Berntsen has since switched races and is now running against Sen. Chuck Schumer.

As I’ve noted in the past, the Coxes, Myers Mermel and Berntsen all have Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid in common, although Mermel started out as a supporter of McCain’s primary opponent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Recall that it was Ed Cox who confirmed the Mermel-for-governor phenomenon long before the candidate himself announced he had decided to end his LG bid and join the already-crowded GOP gubernatorial field. Mermel and Cox have both since insisted the chairman had nothing to do with the switch.

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