A conflict over whether Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Steelman ever received a check from a pro-stem-cell group has turned into a political blogging brouhaha. The winner, in the end, will be the Missouri Baptist Home.

Here’s what happened. Yesterday at the competing news conferences between Steelman and U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, Steelman was asked about receiving campaign donations from a pro-stem-cell research group, Supporters of Health Research and Treatments. Steelman said she didn’t know anything about the check, and spokesman Spence Jackson told KY3’s David Catanese that the campaign never received such a check.

Then Chad Livengood reported on his News-Leader blog that the check had indeed been received and cashed.

Why does this matter? Because Steelman and Hulshof are engaged in a primary race to the right, and both are proclaiming their opposition to embryonic stem cell research. So both campaigns went into high gear.

Hulshof’s campaign sent out a release blasting Steelman for “disappointing conduct unbecoming of a governor,” making reference to the conflicting statements on the check and previous conflicting statements on the vacation of Deputy Treasurer Doug Gaston, who was working on the Steelman campaign while being paid by the state.

Now Jackson has called to say that they found the information. Indeed, the check was cashed, along with two others that were never reported. One from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce PAC for $1,275 and one from F&C Bank. (I asked Jackson if it was possible the second check, for $250, came from T&C Bank, of which Steelman’s husband is on the board. He said no.)

Those checks will show up on an amended report, Jackson says. The check from the pro-stem-cell group will also show up, but the Steelman campaign will make a donation in the same amount, $1,275, to the Missouri Baptist Home. Jackson said the campaign did not talk to the pro-stem-cell group about returning the money.

“We haven’t talked to them,” he said.