MOScout Daily Update: New Ads from Scharf PAC, Malek - Ashcroft Engineer Complaint - Money Watch - Ad Buy Watch and more…

30 days until the August primary…

Pro-Scharf PAC Hits Bailey on Light Sentences

I saw this Defend Missouri ad during the Cards game yesterday.  Defend Missouri is the pro-Will Scharf PAC, and this hits Attorney General Andrew Bailey for being soft on crime and a “weak RINO.”

And

Treasurer Vivek Malek is up on the air with his first ad.   See it here.  It’s footage of Malek walking along Donald Trump’s “wall” vowing to be tough on China. 

“I already stopped state investments in China and its companies.  China is drugging our kids and threatening our nation. As long as I am treasurer, they won’t get money from us. Not one penny!”

Complaint: Ashcroft No Engineer

KSDK reports on a “complaint filed with the Missouri Division of Professional Registration on June 27, [Jay] Ashcroft ‘is not licensed as an engineer and therefore is violating the law by holding himself out as one, and is also committing fraud and dishonesty against the profession and the public.’”

Ashcroft’s campaign draws heavily on his engineering background…

·       Ashcroft graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology with a bachelor's degree and a master's in engineering management in 1996 and 1998. During roughly the same period of time, he lists a four-year stint as a "defense industry engineer" at Systems & Electronics Inc.

·       A state review of Ashcroft's credentials revealed he was "originally enrolled as an Engineer Intern" in the mid-1990s, but that he "is not now, nor has he ever been, licensed as an Architect, Professional Engineer, Professional Land Surveyor, or Professional Landscape Architect in the State of Missouri."

·       Missouri state law includes prohibits and penalizes people without an engineering license from "indicating or implying that such person is or holds himself or herself out to be a professional engineer."

·       We took the complaint to Marsie Geldert-Murphey, the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, for her independent analysis.  "We take it very seriously," she said. "The state board of regulation has the final say on who can call themselves an engineer or not."

And

Someone, I assume Team Kehoe but maybe not, had a tracker ask Ashcroft…

Rumorville: Mehan To Exit Chamber?

There’s been no official word yet, but several folks say they’re hearing Dan Mehan, long-time CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, may be retiring.

Mehan has been at the helm of the Chamber for nearly three decades, transforming the organization and making it a powerhouse in the capitol.

Meanwhile

MOChamber’s political arm, “Political Institute,” is backing Rep. Kurtis Gregory in Senate 21 and Rep. Travis Smith in Senate 33.  According to Missouri Ethics Commission documents, they’ve spent about $25,000 in each race for their candidate.

Money Watch

·       Sander’s Stashes Cash in Committee – With two big deposits into his campaign account, Rep. Chris Sander added over $500,000 to his war-chest.  Sander has made some enemies and faces a primary challenge, but will he be spending $500,000 on his re-election?  I think that’s far-fetched.  He has a history of loaning himself money and then repaying it.  This looks to me like he just stashed some of his fireworks proceeds into the campaign account as a psychological tactic.

·       Carpenters Back Mosley Opponent – The Carpenters continue to dish out money in senate primaries.  The latest is a $50K check to Chantelle PAC.  That’s the political action committee that backing Rep. Chantelle Nickson-Clark who is challenging incumbent Sen. Angela Mosley.  And… Mosley has started a PAC of her own… Mosley PAC.  See the filing here.

·       State Control Group Funds Kehoe PAC – The goal of the Missouri Law Enforcement for Good Government PAC is to bring the St. Louis police back under the control of state government.  They’ve raised a fair amount of money to support politicians who agree with them.  And apparently gubernatorial candidate Mike Kehoe is one of them.  They sent $125,000 to a relatively new PAC, Cops for Kehoe.

·       Capshaw Gives to Pro-choice IP – Kate Capshaw, you know, Willie Scott in Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom, she gave $50,000 to the campaign committee working to pass the pro-choice constitutional amendment.  Her husband, by the way, is Steven Spielberg (Jaws, ET, Jurassic Park…).

Ad Buy Watch

I spent some time yesterday looking through the ad buys at various stations across Missouri.  A few notes…  

·       David Wasinger and Lincoln PAC buying the same spot for Wheel of Fortune in Springfield shows Wasinger paying about half.  That means despite Sen. Lincoln Hough’s huge PAC war-chest, his campaign and Wasinger’s are on about equal footing given Wasinger’s personal contribution and lower ad rates.

·       I didn’t find any ad buys from America Promise PAC, the pro-Vivek Malek PAC.  That PAC has about $3 million cash on-hand, and is apparently spending it – at least so far (four weeks out) – on digital and mail.

Schmitt to Trump Administration?

I have trouble believing Eric Schmitt would give up his US Senate seat at this point in his career for a spot in a Donald Trump administration, but here’s a NYTimes article saying he’s “in the mix.”

Lobbyists Registrations

Tom Dempsey and Dave Berry deleted Missouri Future LLC and i3 Broadband.

$5K+ Contributions

Sander for Missouri - $333,487 from Chris Sander.

Sander for Missouri - $200,000 from Christopher Sander.

Hamra for Missouri - $250,000 from Michael Hamra.

Chantelle PAC (pro-Nickson-Clark) - $50,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom (pro-reproductive rights) - $50,000 from Kate Capshaw (Los Angeles, CA).

Cops for Kehoe - $125,000 from Missouri Law Enforcement for Good Government PAC.

Committee for Liberty (pro-Ashcroft) - $45,000 from Patricia Chandler (West Palm Beach, FL).

Liberty and Justice PAC (pro-Bailey) from $10,000 from JH Berra Construction Co.

Liberty and Justice PAC - $10,000 from Ameren Missouri.

Liberty and Justice PAC - $10,000 from Jeffrey Smith.

Cultivating Freedom PAC (pro-Richey) - $25,000 from Rex Sinquefield.

Independence PAC (pro-McMullen) - $15,000 from Paladin PAC.

Independence PAC - $10,000 from Sun Solar LLC.

Independence PAC - $10,000 from The Rowdy PAC.

Gladius PAC (pro-Christofanelli) - $10,000 from Missouri Health Plan Association PAC.

The Wonderdog PAC (pro-Kurtis Gregory) - $10,000 from Paladin PAC.

Red Hawk PAC (pro-Dinkins) - $12,500 from Quality Schools Coalition.

DougPac (pro-Beck) - $10,000 from Penn Entertainment, Inc.

Serve Missouri PAC (pro-McCreery) - $8,000 from Penn Entertainment Inc.

Conservative Leadership for Southeast Missouri (pro-Bean) - $7,500 from Missouri Soybean Association.

Renew Action PAC - $15,000 from Ranger Power, LLC (Chicago, IL).

Great Northwest PAC (pro-Rusty Black) - $100,000 from NEMO Leadership PAC (pro-O’Laughlin).

MO Republican Attorneys for Civil Justice PAC - $5,175 from Strong Law.

MO Republican Attorneys for Civil Justice PAC - $7,000 from Davis Bethune & Jones, LLC.

POL PAC - $13,500 from H&R Block.

Missouri Voter Project - State PAC - $35,000 from United Food & Commercial Workers International Union AFL-CIO (Washington, DC).

Union Pacific Corp FFEG MO Federal Committee - $14,000 from Union Pacific Corp. Fund for Effective Government (Omaha, NE).

Missouri Optometric Association PAC - $100,000 from Missouri Optometric Association.

Missouri Optometric Association PAC - $100,000 from Missouri Optometric Association.

Correction: A large contribution last week reported as $25,000 to 417 PAC from Another Viceroy PAC was actually sent Missouri Leadership PAC. 

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Richard Martin, Marsha Haefner, and Jeff Aboussie.