MOScout Daily Update: Will Kansas Steal Chiefs? - Another $500K for Kehoe - Conservative Justice Reloads Ahead of Primaries and more…
Chiefs Talk Gets Hot
The Kansas legislature’s special session starts today. Jonathan Shorman reports that the bill to steal the Chiefs “allows for [the] state to finance up to 70% of project costs,” and that Governor Laura Kelly “signals there is nothing in the bill right now to warrant a veto.”
· See the website of the group pushing the effort here.
· Listen Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins here as he explains STAR Bonds, the mechanism that Kansas will employ to pay for their incentive package.
· eMailbag on Chiefs: The question is not if Kansas is going to pass a package aimed directly at luring the Chiefs and Royals. They will and will do it with a substantial bi-partisan majority. The question is whether January will be too late for Missouri to match. Unfortunately, I think it will be.
Money Watch
Kehoe Lands Another Big Check - Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe collected another massive check yesterday. This one was for $500,000 from Herzog Contracting Corp. It comes just days after Rex Sinquefield gave Kehoe’s PAC $1 million. With two weeks left in the quarter, it looks like Kehoe has raised more this quarter than Ashcroft had cash on-hand coming into the quarter.
· I’ve moving Kehoe up to the #1 PowerRanking spot. He hasn’t moved in polls that I’ve seen yet, but I can’t imagine that this huge money advantage won’t show him moving in the coming weeks.
Trial Attorney PAC Loads Up - Conservative Justice PAC reported receiving a half-million dollars from two law firms, Ketchmark & McCreight, and Holland Law Firm. Those two firms funded the PAC back in 2022. They backed Rusty Black, Mike Carter, Bill Eigel, Nick Schroer, and Curtis Trent in that cycle – as well as both Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Dan Shaul in Senate 22.
· I would think this PAC will support Freedom Caucus members Rick Brattin and Mike Moon who face primary challenges.
Torch Funds “Tilley PACs” – Torch Electronics, the company behind the controversial “gray” gaming machines put $55,000 into 5 PACs with ties to lobbyist Steven Tilley. That’s a total of $275,000.
· Tilley’s firm, Strategic Capitol Consulting, has so far vexed the folks who are trying to outlaw Torch’s machines.
Schwadron PAC gets $50K – Rep. Adam Schwadron’s PAC received $50K in contributions yesterday. That won’t go very far in the down ballot statewide race, BUT it’s practically the only sign of fundraising life we’ve seen lately in the SOS race. Besides Schwadron and Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman’s PAC, which received a $25K check earlier this month, there have been zero large contributions into the SOS race.
· Speaker Dean Plocher maintains a wide money lead, from his fundraising before his series of headache headlines.
Green Adds More Money – Finally, Lucas Green, (see his website here) the primary challenger to Rep. Barry Hovis, added another $10,000 to his campaign. That’s on top of the $35,000 he’d put in before. This district surrounds Cape Girardeau. Green is a veteran who served in Iraq.
· It’s hard to beat an incumbent, but this is a race to watch.
Endorsement Watch
· In Senate 21, Rep. Kurtis Gregory won the AFL-CIO endorsement. That’s the latest in string of endorsements including the FOP and the Farm Bureau. But his rival Doug Richey pulled down the Missouri Right to Life endorsement.
· And in Senate 29, Sen. Mike Moon, as expected, took the sole endorsement from Missouri Right to Life.
PAC Started To Aid Dem in House 17
Missouri Women For Progress was formed. See its filing information here. Its treasurer is Rep. Ingrid Burnett and it was formed to support Shirley Mata.
Mata is running in House 17. That’s where Rep. Bill Allen defeated Mark Ellebracht by a squeaky 49 votes, while Joe Biden carried the same district by a relatively healthy +5.2% margin.
· Mata is a retired auto worker. This district is a top target for Dems.
eMailbag on Cupps Case
Rep. Scott Cupps mercilessly attacked Vivek Malek publicly for not being available on short notice for a committee hearing, but loses a court case for failing to show up. Beautiful Jeff City irony here.
New PACs
· Neighbors United was formed. Its treasurer is Kim Johnson. See its filing here.
· Save Urban Missouri PAC was formed. Its treasurer is Derrick Good. See its filing here.
· Renew Action PAC was formed. Its treasurer is Jessica Caldera; its deputy treasurer is James Owen. See its filing here.
Lobbyists Registrations
Ron Berry added True Level Investment.
Catalyst added Cardinal Correctional Care LLC.
Jay Reichard added Visionary Integration Professionals.
Heath Clarkston and Doug Nelson deleted Panorama Education.
$5K+ Contributions
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $500,000 from Herzog Contracting Corp.
Missouri Values PAC (pro-Schwadron) - $25,000 from Roger Roderick.
Missouri Values PAC - $25,000 from Fab Tech Wastewater Solutions LLC
Conservative Justice PAC - $250,000 from Ketchmark & McCreight, P.C.
Conservative Justice PAC - $250,000 from Holland Law Firm LLC.
Conservative Leaders of Missouri - $55,000 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Missouri Senior PAC - $55,000 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Missouri Growth PAC - $55,000 from Torch Electronics LLC.
MO Majority PAC LLC - $55,000 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Missouri C PAC - $55,000 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Missouri AG PAC - $55,000 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Friends of Lucas Green - $10,000 from Lucas Green.
The 100 PAC - $25,000 from Believe in Life and Liberty.
Majority Forward - $10,000 from Simmons Hanly Conroy.
UFCW Active Ballot Club-Missouri Federal Committee - $35,000 from United Food and Commercial Workers Active Ballot Club (Washington, DC).
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Jay Mosely, and Tim Garrison.
Wednesday: Mark Dalton, Angela Bingaman, Jason Cohen, and Brian Nieves.
MOScout Schedule
No MOScout tomorrow (Juneteenth).