Tuesday February 9, 2016
Coops Get Ready to Rumble
The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) put $1 million into a brand new campaign committee, Consumers for Energy Fairness. David Klindt is the deputy treasurer of the new committee. Klindt is a former state senator who now is Vice President of AMEC, leading their government affairs department.
According to the Missouri Ethics Commission filing, Consumers for Energy Fairness will both support and oppose renewable ballot issue this November.
There have been many initiative petitions filed on the subject of renewables. For example, Missourians for Renewable Energy has petitions, as does Access Clean Energy.
Rumorville: Bond for Rubio?
We’ll see if it happens, but the rumor is that former U.S. Senator Kit Bond will be endorsing Marco Rubio. If so, it would be a sign of consolidation around one viable candidate for the general election….
Jason Attacking Roy Through Andy
SOS Jason Kander is apparently intending to spend a lot of time to attack Andy Blunt to get at Roy Blunt. Not sure how great a strategy that is but I guess we’ll find out…
From: Team Kander <info@jasonkander.com>
Subject: A Blunt conflict of interest (again)
Senator Blunt is treading in ethically murky waters, yet again.
Two weeks ago, Senator Blunt sent a letter to the FCC, voicing his support of cable companies' demands to continue providing rural Missouri with low broadband service.
Why would he do that?
Not only does Senator Blunt receive thousands in campaign contributions from cable companies, his son -- who is also his campaign manager -- became the lobbyist for a Missouri cable association comprised of companies that would benefit from low broadband standards just a week before Senator Blunt signed onto the letter to the FCC…
We think it's unacceptable for Senator Blunt to sit on the committee that oversees telecommunications, while his son is the lobbyist of an association that's impacted by this same committee's policy decisions….
Bechthold for Senate 17
Looks like finally Sen. Ryan Silvey is picking up a Democratic opponent. But maybe not a very tough one. We’ll see…. Josiah Bechthold started a campaign committee to run in Senate 17 as a Democrat. Bechthold interned for former Rep. Trent Skaggs. See it here.
Simpson for House 143
Bobby Simpson started a campaign committee to run for House 143 as a Republican. The current incumbent is Rep. Jeff Pogue. It looks like Simpson is a sergeant with the Salem Police Department.
MCN in NYT
Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal on the front page of Sunday’s New York Times. See it here.
Pull Quote: Within days of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014, Maria Chappelle-Nadal huffed amid a crush of protesters, waving a cardboard cutout of the white governor’s face above her head. “Black community!” she shouted. “This is your governor! This is your governor that can’t care less about the black community!”… Ms. Chappelle-Nadal, currently a state senator in Missouri, is looking to unseat Representative William Lacy Clay Jr., an eight-term incumbent whose father was a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus.
And
Roy Temple, Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party, explains why Sen. Chappelle-Nadal isn’t being given access to the Party’s 1st Congressional database. See it here.
Pull Quote: Over the last few days, a series of questions have arisen over the voter file access policy of the Missouri Democratic Party (MDP). During the time that I have been Chair, the MDP has operated under the historic practice, modeled after the policy of many state parties, of granting automatic access to all candidates in races for which there is no incumbent. In races with an incumbent officeholder, the party has routinely granted access to that elected official as the “winner of the last primary” in that political subdivision… This is a widely shared practice around the country, based on the recognition that the voter file is strengthened through additional data and that if Democratic officials fear that their data will be made available to opponents or potential opponents, they will be less likely to add data that strengthens the file for use by statewide Democratic candidates. Late last year, state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal inquired about access to the voter file for her potential bid for Congress in the 1st Congressional District. After consulting with me, the staff informed Senator Chappelle-Nadal of our historic practice…
Panel Selected
The press release: This vacancy exists due to the January 2016 resignation of Judge Patricia L. Cohen, who since has become a federal magistrate judge.
The commission unanimously supports the three nominees. After approximately five hours of public interviews, two hours of deliberations and five rounds of balloting, the nominees – each of whom received seven votes – are: Judge Colleen Dolan, Judge Robin Vannoy and Kenneth Vuylsteke… The governor has 60 days to select one member of the panel to fill the vacancy. Should he fail to do so, the Missouri Constitution directs the commission to make the appointment. In addition to Breckenridge, the commission is composed of Michelle Beckler of Marshfield, Scott S. Bethune of Kansas City, Thomas M. Burke of St.Louis, Cheryl M. Darrough of Columbia, Edward “Nick” Robinson of St. Louis and Donald E. Woody of Springfield.
Bits
Sen. Mike Parson will be the speaker at the St. Louis Young Republicans meeting this month.
See Sen. Eric Schmitt’s TV ad here. (SPOILER ALERT: He’s making sure our tax dollars don’t support radical Islamic terrorist.)
Source: Russ Carnahan made a loop through the Bootheel last weekend and was very well received….
Republican AG candidate Josh Hawley goes on Christian radio and Dick Bott says he crazy for Hawley’s wife. No endorsement of course, just informing his listeners…. Listen to it here.
St. Louis City Board President Lewis Reed takes heat for going along with radio hosts rant. See it here. Sen. Jamilah Nasheed: “As a female, and as an elected official, I am absolutely appalled that the president of the board of aldermen would allow an individual to disrespect a fellow elected official without coming to her defense.”
Today is Missouri Right to Life’s lobby day. They’re asking people to wear red in support.
And tonight is New Hampshire….
eMailbag on Sunshines
If the Auditor is going to look into MIZZOU's sunshine response time, she shouldn't stop here. Local governments and school districts have terrible response times and more often than not, try to charge outrageous fees….
Follow-Up on MOScout Weekly Poll
Don’t Tread on Titus
Titus Bond of Remington: In response to the emailer who scoffed at my results for the POTUS ballot in Missouri I'd like to make a couple points:
- Hillary Clinton is running one of the most ineffective campaigns in the history of American politics. Why anyone would, at this point of the campaign, think Hillary would be winning in Missouri (a Democrat Presidential candidate has not won Missouri since the Macarena was the top song in the country) is simply beyond me and contrary to data.
- In our June, 2015 survey for MOSCOUT we showed Ted Cruz trailing every candidate on the ballot with the exception of Rand Paul (dropped out) and Donald Trump (before he burst on the scene.)
This is yet another classic example of someone attacking a pollster to divert attention away from their chosen candidate's clear weaknesses. Perhaps this individual should seek guidance from Charlie Dooley's political team on how to react to my surveys.
And
Reader: Unlike your reader, I'm a Dem who believes the Cruz-HRC numbers. What I disagree with is your assertion that this result, combined with the LG poll results, suggests voter schizophrenia. Voters are mostly familiar with the presidential candidates so they can make a reasoned judgment. But in LG race they are far more familiar with the Carnahan name than Parson or Randles, leading to this result. Nothing schizo at all.
Today’s Events
From Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Missouri Solar Energy Industries Reception – Bones – 5:30PM.
Lobbyists Registrations
Lee McGrath, Dan Alban, and Greg Reed added Institute for Justice.
Phillip Scaglia added Ash Grove Cement Company.
Caitlin Kerber added Kansas City Power and Light, and Cerner Corporation; and deleted The Children’s Place.
Thomas Robbins added Robbins Consulting, LLC.
Rick Zucker added The Laclede Group Inc.
Shanon Hawk added Taxed Enough Already, and Missourians for Local Asset Governance; and deleted Beleaf LLC.
Irl Scissors added Midwest Cyber Security Alliance.
Rose Marie Hopkins added Association of Missouri Nurse Practitioners, and The 109 Group LLC.
Eapen Thampy added First Amendment Defenders Of Mizzou.
Salvatore Panettiere added Missourians for Local Asset Governance, and Armstrong Teasdale LLP.
Bradley Ketcher added Rockwood Asset Management LLC.
Jonathan Dalton added Missourians for Local Asset Governance, and Ebay.
Ryan Stauffer added Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Indusry.
Elizabeth Smith deleted Alliancebernstein.
$5K+ Contributions
Koster for Missouri - $30,000 from CHIPP Political Account.
Missourians for Fair Taxation - $300,000 from Missouri Association of REALTORS.
Consumers for Energy Fairness - $1,000,000 from Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Rep. Jered Taylor.