Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Turilli on the Air
Independent gubernatorial candidate Les Turilli is buying TV. But from the looks of it, he’s not buying much. His October quarter showed $1,427 on-hand.
And an ad contract with KVTI in St. Louis came with this note attached.
Mickie [Reeves, the KVTI sales rep],
I have $1,200 to spend, can we do the LUR rates for the following
Sat 5:30pm $225 10/22
Mon 9am $375 10/24
Thurs 9am $375 10/27
Sat 5:30pm $225 10/30
If spots run cheaper we can put it in overnite somewhere.
And
For those who love the small detail of color in politics… According to the document Turilli’s email address is caveman@***.net, a nod to his Meramec Caverns line of work.
Higdon for Senate 34
Rep. Galen Higdon announced on Facebook that “It is my intention to run for the republican nomination for senator #34 district in 2018. I'll need all your help.”
Remember when people used to wait until the day after Election Day to kick off the next cycle?
The current state senator from Senate 34, Sen. Rob Schaaf, is term-limited. It is potentially a swing district depending on the candidates.
We’ll see….
Brunner Lawsuit Follow-Up
Here’s the latest on the Brunner-Goguen lawsuit according to Casenet… a hearing is scheduled for Friday October 28 at 9AM concerning the motions of Eric Greitens and his treasurer, Jeff Stuermans, to “quash” Brunner’s subpoenas.
Rucker Ad
Martin Rucker – running in House 14 against Rep. Kevin Corlew – put his first ad up on Facebook. See it here. The message is a bit much to swallow in a single ad. It’s part biography, but there’s a jab at special interests, then a call for better education and also job creation. I think he’d have been better serviced to choose a single message.
Too Rigged to Vote?
Here’s another article (AP) in the ever-tightening Blunt Kander race. See it here.
At the end of the article comes a new worry: that some Republicans might believe Donald Trump’s rhetoric and therefore boycott the “rigged” electoral process. Really?
Pull Quote: Most concerning to Republicans of late is Trump's rhetoric about the election being "rigged," which some fear could keep GOP voters from coming out to the polls. "If his supporters actually think the election is 'rigged' then you have to wonder if they will think it's worth coming out to vote," said Brian Walsh a GOP consultant and former official at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "And that could have real consequences down ballot because we need everyone on the GOP side to vote."
And
Jason Kander’s latest ad (see it here) has his commanding officer from Afghanistan saying he’s great.
McGaugh on Retention
Rep. Joe Don McGaugh continues to lay out his platform in the speaker pro tem race…
This election cycle, we have 18 Republican house seats up for grabs. Thankfully, all of our vacant house seats should continue to be represented by members of the majority party. Should all of our caucus members entering their final terms be re-elected in 2 weeks, the number of vacant house seats in 2018 more than doubles. *We stand to have 37 house seats up for grabs in 2 years.* As a party and as a caucus, we must do everything we can to ensure that these 37 house seats remain in Republican control. *Whether we like it or not, the fight to keep these districts ‘red’ begins on November 9th… I believe that increased engagement and communication among our caucus better prepares our members for success on Election Day. Increased caucus communications means: better floor preparation, capitol report and press release information members can personalize to fit their districts, and caucus messaging for social media…. We as a caucus are only as strong as our weakest member. *As elected officials, the spotlight shines more brightly on us and it is up to us to earn the trust of the public on a daily basis*. When a member of our team does well, we all look good. It also takes only *one* of us to make a mistake—for our entire caucus to be thrust into the mode of damage control. This unfortunately, is something our caucus has had to learn the hard way…
Rowden Line of Attack
It’s a Wanted Flyer, dinging Rep. Stephen Webber on his missed votes. See it here.
Postcard Appeal
Eric Greitens’ campaign is sending postcards… handwritten – by volunteers – to Missouri voters extolling his position on issues – like again common core for example…
ObamaCare Premiums Rising
Perfect timing to give a little extra sting to the attack ads tying Democrats to Obamacare… premiums of the Affordable Care Act headed up by 25% on average. NYTimes reports here: In many parts of the country, the available options are sure to become part of the political conversation in the election season’s closing days. And the rising costs and shrinking options all but ensure that the next president will need to make significant adjustments to the health law… The average increase of 25 percent in benchmark premiums on the federal exchange compares with increases of 2 percent in 2015 and 7 percent this year. Major insurers have pulled out of the public marketplace in many states, citing multimillion-dollar losses, and state officials have approved rate increases of 25 to 50 percent or more for some insurers that remain.
Rust for Blunt
Southeast Missourian’s Gary Rust penned his endorsement in the U.S. Senate race. See it here.
Pull Quote: Although this newspaper has had a policy of NOT endorsing political candidates, but that does not prevent my column from doing that, especially this year. The confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court candidates is one of the major issues at stake, for two or more judges will be nominated by the next President of the United States. The current court is basically split 4-to-4 with too many recent decisions decided by philosophic interpretation rather than ruling on the laws' meaning. President Obama has already been making executive orders that bypass Congress such as international treaties, wage and hour laws, national health insurance, recognition of Cuba, closing Gitmo, forcing coal out of existence, the Iran nuclear deal, etc.
Senator Roy Blunt could be the deciding vote on which party controls the U.S. Senate and the future of many such decisions.
Hoskins in Feebee’s Crosshairs?
Post-Dispatch reports that former Rep. and current Mayor of Berkeley Ted Hoskins is under investigation. See it here.
Pull Quote: Specifically, they alleged that he or someone from his campaign picked up absentee ballots not contained in sealed envelopes as the law requires, Eric Fey, Democratic director of the Election Board, said in an interview… Hoskins says that he has done nothing wrong and that the allegations are being fueled by his opponents…
Follow-Up on Ketcher’s “Subject to Appropriations”
Brad Ketcher tried on Twitter to explain why it didn’t matter that what he actually said at the Empower forum was wrong… he was still right. Rather than say he made a mistake or misspoke, he kept insisting he was right, until, head bobbing below the waterline, super-attorney Chuck Hatfield waded in to rescue him from the Twitter tide. No, those words aren’t in the proposal. No, the conservation commission isn’t an example of how to do it differently. MoDoT, Hatfield said, is the proper example.
This stuff gets kind of confusing. Thanks goodness there’s so many people just trying to tell the truth.
Bits
Tough times to be a turtle… See it here.
In the aftermath of Gracia Backer’s lawsuit, DOLIR is looking for Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. See it here.
Third-party Future45 is running an anti-Clinton ad in Missouri. See it here. Is this an indication of needs to shore up the state?
The Missouri Ethics Commission fined Corbin Umstattd, Brian Cunningham, and Tom Leuther for inaccurate campaign finance reports. Leuther had been a candidate for Columbia City Council. See it here.
Help Wanted
Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance seeks Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs. “In accordance with the strategic plan or yearly work plans, provides leadership for Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance legislative and public policy activities. Establishes and maintains strategic relationships with policymakers and key constituents. Develops content for legislative updates, issue briefs, advocacy tools and training, and related advocacy communications….” See it here.
Today’s Events
Powered by Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Chris Koster Jason Kander Joint Campaign Rally – JB’s Downtown – Joplin - 12:30PM.
$5K+ Contributions
MO Republican Party - $144,000 from Hawley for Missouri
Koster for Missouri - $132,906 from Missouri Democratic State Committee.
Berg for Change - $7,000 from CHIPP Political Account.
Hawley for Missouri - $75,000 from Herzog Contracting Corp.
Raise Your Hand for Kids - $50,000 from Ferring Family Foundation.
Koster for Missouri - $44,950 from Missouri Democratic State Committee.
Koster for Missouri - $35,000 from Gregory Wendt.
Teresa Hensley for Missouri - $34,649 from Missouri Democratic State Committee.
Koster for Missouri - $30,000 from Simmons Hanly Conroy.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $25,000 from Lewis & Clark Leadership Forum.
Teresa Hensley for Missouri - $25,000 from Western Missouri and Kansas Laborers District Council PAC.
Missouri Democratic State Committee - $20,000 from Citizens for Vicki Lorenz Englund.
Koster for Missouri - $15,000 from Kevin Knasel.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $15,000 from HTH Companies.
Friends of Caleb Rowden - $12,100 from Missouri Senate Campaign Committee.
Koster for Missouri - $10,000 from Ricard DeStefane.
Bolander for Judge - $10,000 from Steven Craig.
Citizens to Elect Jamilah Nasheed - $10,000 from CHIPP.
Missourians for Fair Taxation - $10,000 from MADA.
Missouri Democratic State Committee - $6,300 from Rucker for Missouri.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $6,000 from Friends of Kathy Swan.
Wood for Commissioner - $5,243 from Graves Garrett LLC.
Greitens for Missouri - $5,001 from Bryan Magers.
Greitens for Missouri - $5,001 from Bates & Associates Inc.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $5,001 from Shawn Rhoads for State Rep.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to former House candidate Redditt Hudson.