Friday, July 29, 2016
MOScout Contest
Want to be crowned the king or queen of punditry? Email me (dave@moscout.com) your guesses on the primary election by Noon Monday.
Tell me the winners of: Republican primaries for Governor, LG, AG, Senate 23, Senate 15, and the Democratic primaries of AG and Treasurer. Tie-breaker: winner and % of St. Louis City circuit attorney’s race.
And now the bits…
‘Jobs and Opportunity’ Against Greitens?
In the large contributions, there’s a $150K in-kind donation from a DC group “Jobs and Opportunity” to Chris Koster. The Greitens campaign sent out an email blast yesterday citing Politico reporting that the money is for an anti-Greitens ad this weekend.
Subject: FROM POLITICO -- READ NOW
From: Team Greitens Breaking News <team@ericgreitens.com>
Date: Thu, July 28, 2016 6:18 pm
Priority: Normal
Democrats Attack Greitens Days Before Missouri GOP Primary
By Maggie Severns, POLITICO
7/28/2016 5:17 PM EST
A political group affiliated with the Democratic Governors Association is reserving ad time to attack GOP gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens in Missouri, seeking to affect the race just five days before Republicans choose their nominee from a crowded field.
Two sources tracking media spending in the state said that Jobs and Opportunity, a 527 group funded by the DGA, has booked about a half-million dollars in broadcast TV and additional radio spending attacking Greitens. The DGA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ad is set to start airing Friday. Audio, which a source said was from the ad, criticizes Greitens for accepting money from a donor accused of sexually abusing a woman.
"What does this victim accused of human trafficking have to do with your vote for governor? Well a man accused of abusing her for 13 years gave Eric Greitens $1 million," a narrator says in the ad. "While others returned his money, Greitens said he was honored to take it."
Greitens, a former Navy SEAL and political newcomer, has been picking up steam in the competitive GOP primary because of his charisma and status as an outsider. The ad is a clear indication that Democrats would rather not face Greitens in the general election. Polls have found the race between Greitens and the three other candidates extremely close, but a SurveyUSA poll released this week did find Greitens leading the pack with 25 percent, with opponent John Brunner behind him at 21 percent…
Greitens will hold a press conference at 9:30AM to denounce the ads…
And
Also there’s a $500K check among the large contributions (see below). This is the first of what will probably be a series of big checks from the Republican Governors Association into the state….
Post-Dispatch Poll: Blunt Leads Kander, Clinton Tied With Trump
The Post-Dispatch released a new poll with an eye on November. See it here. It shows Senator Roy Blunt leading Jason Kander by four points: 47% to 43%
And it shows Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump neck and neck. Clinton has 41% to Trump’s 40%.
In both races, there is a gender split. The Democrat is leading with women while the Republican is stronger with men.
It’s a 625 person sample with a margin of error of +/-4%.
Justice Shakes Fist at Greitens
On Facebook, Southeast Missouri powerbroker Eddy Justice writes… “[Eric Greitens] canceled yet another interview today. At least we know where Poplar Bluff is on his priority list… Peter Kinder followed through with his interview Monday. John Brunner on Tuesday. Catherine Hanaway on Wednesday. Greitens skipped out on his commitment Thursday. committed to Friday morning. Oh wait .. Sorry too busy. Sheesh. Guess rural Missouri is just not important to him. Credibility out the window!!”
Brunner Hits ‘Hollywood Eric’
See a new two-minute web video from the Brunner campaign here. It contrasts Eric Greitens rhetoric (Obama’s the worst ever) with the paper-trail of his Democratic days (White House visits, DCCC visits). Will this get cut down into a 30-second punch for the final weekend? We’ll see…
Medical Marijuana in House 17
Eapen Thampy writes that Rep. Nick King is hitting challenger Mary Hill on a contribution he made to her campaign: I've known Mary Hill for years -- I met her at Jeff City once when she had organized a rally -- and I've always known her to stand for principles of individual freedom and economic liberty. When I heard she was running to represent her community in the Missouri House (District 17), I met her and was glad to hear that as a nurse she believed that Missourians had a fundamental right to choose cannabis for medical purposes. I also gave her $1000 to support her campaign and went with her to Branson for the State convention of the Missouri Republican Party.
Now her opponent Nick King, the most strident prohibitionist in the Missouri Legislature, is attacking her for accepting my support. We need more conservatives and healthcare professionals to lead on this issue and we cannot afford to let Nick King hinder the implementation of medical cannabis in Missouri.
See his fundraising for a TV ad here.
Tweet of the Day
From KC Star’s Jason Hancock… @J_Hancock: If you believe TV ads, #MoAG primary pits a Chinese communist sympathizer against a guy who pals around w/terrorists
Today’s Events
From Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Rep. Kathy Swan Golf – Dalhousie Country Club – Cape Girardeau.
House 117 candidate Mike Henderson 5K Race – 7151 Raider Rd. – Bonne Terre – 7AM.
House 96 candidate David Gregory Trivia Night – Sunset Hills Comm. Ctr. – Sunset Hills – 6:30PM.
$5K+ Contributions
Koster for Missouri - $150,080 from Jobs and Opportunity.
Koster for Missouri - $10,000 from Lodging Hospitality Management.
Hawley for Missouri - $10,000 from Gary Schell.
Hanaway for Governor Inc - $10,000 from Karen Wright.
Hanaway for Governor Inc - $10,000 from Tom Rastin.
Hanaway for Governor Inc - $20,000 from Hunter Engineering Company.
Republican Governors Association Missouri - $500,000 from Republican Governors Association.
Parson for Missouri - $21,500 from Mike Parson.
Parson for Missouri - $78,500 from Mike Parson.
Anne Zerr for Missouri - $11,765 from Missouri Realtors PAC Inc.
Teresa Hensley for Missouri - $50,000 from CHIPP Political Account.
Teresa Hensley for Missouri - $10,000 from Kenneth McClain.
Teresa Hensley for Missouri - $20,000 from Pipefitters Local Union 533 Volunteer Political Fund.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to former Rep. Vicki Englund.
Saturday: House 20 candidate Christopher Dale.
Sunday: Wendell Bailey, Rodney Gray and Bruce Darrough.