MOScout Daily Update: Englund for Treasurer - Brattin PAC - Eigel Responds to Hallway - Access MO - MNEA Contra ECE? and more...

Englund Will Run for Treasurer

Former Rep. Vicki Englund says that she’s formed a committee to run for state treasurer.  (It has yet to post to the Missouri Ethics Commission website).

And that she will make a formal announcement in “the next week or so.”

What It Means

·         Dems are starting to fill out their statewide slot.

·         I’d heard from Dems a few weeks ago who were hopeful for a different type of candidate (non-political, rural or at least non-St. Louis), but no one else has stepped forward during that time.

·         I still expect other Dems announcements coming (Yinka Faleti for SOS, and Rich Finneran for AG in a primary with Elad Gross).

Brattin PAC Formed

Brattin Brigade PAC was formed.  This is yet another independent political action committee formed to advance a state senate candidate.  These committee have proliferated since the implementation of contribution limits because they don’t have to follow those restrictions.

One insider watching the senate races thinks that “Rick Brattin’s campaign plan is to rely wholly on the CL PAC for fundraising… If this is the case, he’ll have a shell of a campaign until last minute, when an influx of direct voter contact would come as independent expenditures. That type of starved candidate committee / heavy last-minute PAC spend hasn’t worked well in the past for candidates in Missouri…”

The Big Picture

It appears that the Conservative Caucus / CL PAC will be backing..

·         Eddy Justice in Senate 25 against Rep. Jeff Shawan.

·         Rep. Holly Rehder in Senate 27 against Rep. Kathy Swan.

·         Brattin in Senate 31 against Rep. Jack Bondon.

·         Rep. Robert Ross in Senate 33 against Van Kelly

·         It’s unclear if they support Rep. Mike Moon in Senate 29 against David Cole.  Moon is considered a bit of a wildcard.  And there’s probably a calculation: every race you enter, you dilute your resources and focus accordingly.

And Speaking of Conservative Caucus….

Sen. Bill Eigel sent in his reply to last weekend’s Hallway Index question and comments…

How many members of the Senate Conservative Caucus will there be?

25 – because I’m optimistic that Republicans gain one seat in 2020 and every bullet in the Conservative Caucus platform is taken directly from the MO GOP platform.

Until this group shows they have any clue what they’re doing strategically, all the money in the world doesn’t matter.

To borrow a quote from Yoda in Star Wars Episode I:  “I sense much fear in you.”

Right now it is hard to see any of them losing.

Republicans win elections and primaries as the reformers of broken government.  All of our candidates have a major advantage there.

The problem is the conservative caucus recruited candidates that will take the money but not be lock step with the CC.

How often does the term “lock step” get used when describing the Missouri Senate? Not sure this person understood the question.

I don’t know, at some point people are going to continue to make Cierpiot’s point that this isn’t really a conglomeration of “conservatism”, rather it’s a grouping of people against GOP leadership in the Senate.  Maybe they have 6, maybe that have 9, but there will be many members that aren’t conservative (Hoskins, cough cough) and people not in the caucus that actually are.  For now it’s really just a clique of people who don’t want bills to pass.  Why join that?

Your first three words were an excellent summary of your perspective here.  Also Yoda:  “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate…”

I think they have mixed success but add at least one new member.

Is this a “conservative” estimate?  A year ago no one expected us to have six right now.

It’s definitely more than 8, but they’re not in lock-step.  No one believes that Holly Rehder or Robert Ross will take orders from Bill Eigel.

Oh geez--senators don’t take orders from Bill Eigel or anyone else.  Senators also don’t “lock-step” well because the Senate isn’t built that way.  Who keeps using this term?

Like ‘em or not, they’re all we are talking about these days…

We aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo.  Whenever that happens it seems to get a lot of chatter.

Meet Access MO

A new PAC, Access MO, appears to be in formation in response to HB 126.

From their website:  Inspired by Jewish values, Access MO is a state-wide political action committee supporting candidates in Missouri who publicly embrace and advocate for reproductive healthcare and freedom.

As of yet, there’s no Access MO PAC listed on the Missouri Ethics Commission website.

Stay tuned…

United for Missouri Tough Report Card

Carl Bearden’s United for Missouri organization has published its legislators’ report card on the 2019 session.  See it here. 

UFM is a limited government group.  And when a staunch conservative like Ed Emery only gets a “B,” you know they’re tough graders.  (Every single Democrat received an “F.”)

Also

This scorecard is a reminder about the power of the outsider – particularly in a primary where it’s easy to promise a hard line.  Once you start taking votes, you always make someone unhappy.  For example, Republican Rep. Jeff Shawan received an F.  One of his “bad” votes was support for funds to St. Louis and Kansas City stadiums. 

Follow-Up on MOScout Poll on Gun Laws

Last weekend’s MOScout Poll showed strong bipartisan support for additional gun laws aimed at curbing gun violence.  Missourians support background checks (77%), a “red flag” law (69%), and an assault rifle ban (60%).

Missouri is not an outlier.  National polls show similar results. 

·         See a NewsHour poll here (83% favor background checks; 72% favor “red flag” laws; 57% favor assault run ban; and 72% favor requiring a license to buy a gun).

·         See a Washington Post poll here (89% favor background checks; 86% favor “red flag” laws; 56% favor assault run ban).

Panel News

The 31st Circuit Judicial Commission selected a panel of three nominees for the new circuit judge position in the 31st Judicial Circuit (Greene County), created by the legislature in July 2019. The nominees are: Becky J.W. Borthwick, an associate circuit judge, Division 25, 31st Judicial Circuit; Randall D. Eggert, a supervisory assistant United States attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri; and Ginger K. Gooch, a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP…

eMailbag: MNEA Contra ECE?

Several of The MNEA proposals would severely weaken early childhood education in the state, requiring all organizations to have a publicly elected board.  Why does Punkin Patch Child Care Center need a publicly elected school board? In practice, it will have the effect of moving most 3-year olds into government-run child care and make infant care more scarce and expensive in rural parts of MO. Frustrating to see. I doubt they move forward with these ones, but if they do I’d expect a bunch of folks (particularly on the left) to come out against it.

eMailbag: Drug Companies Retort

Since we are evidently dealing with a Republican Party dominated by elected officials who sound more like Bernie Sanders than Ronald Reagan, look at this independent NYU Study on PhRMA profit margins stated on average their return is between 12.5-14%.  Also, a lot of competition within the pharmaceutical industry – more companies in that space than in the automobile industry…

New Committees

Yolanda Young formed a candidate committee (Committee To Elect Yolanda Young) to run for House 22 as a Democrat in the upcoming special election.

Brattin Brigade PAC was formed.  Its treasurer is Mark Milton.

$5K+ Contributions

Mighty Missouri PAC - $10,000 from Missouri C PAC.

Mighty Missouri PAC - $10,000 from American Federation for Children.

Lobbyist Registrations

Steven Tilley and Thomas Robbins added Tremco Incorporated.

Charles Bryan Cox deleted Charles Bryan Cox.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Sarah Schlemeier, Joan Bray, Jim Kottmeyer, and Nicole Brown.