MOScout Daily Update: Gov Ditches Prater - PROUD PAC - Meet BeHeard - Blunt Asks for Tariff Relief and more…
Quick Friday update…
Gov Ditches Prater
Governor Mike Kehoe withdrew his nomination of Tom Prater to the State Board of Education after criticism that he was too liberal for Missouri.
But…
· It actually wouldn’t surprise me if Prater is appointed in a month, and then not need Senate approval until January.
· I think it’s smart of Kehoe to pull it back right now. With only three weeks left, Prater was at best a distraction from the governor’s agenda, and at worst could have sucked one or two precious days out of the remaining Senate time.
And
Kehoe also signed two bills into law…
· SB 22, sponsored by Senator Rick Brattin and Representative Ben Keathley, modifies provisions relating to statewide ballot measures.
· SB 47, sponsored by Senator Curtis Trent and Representative Dane Diehl, amends Supreme Court Rule 52.08 relating to class actions.
PROUD PAC
PROUD PAC was formed. See the paperwork here. It’s an independent expenditure committee to support Rep. Raychel Proudie who’s running to replace Sen. Brian Williams in Senate 14. That’s expected to be one of the hottest Dem primaries of 2026.
· These PACs allow politicians to exceed the campaign contribution limits that apply to their candidate committees. However, they cannot direct how the PAC spends the money, so they have to set it up with a trusted ally as treasurer and stay away from the decision-making process.
Quade Launches “BeHeard”
A new Democratic organization seems to have sprung up… BeHeard Missouri. And according to an email to supporters, former Minority Leader Crystal Quade is one of the founders. Others involved are Spencer Toder, Alex Johnson and Claire Harris.
The organization is holding events to education voters and keep them involved while building an infrastructure to recruit and support future candidates.
Blunt Asks for Tariff Relief
Former Governor Matt Blunt, now the head of the American Automotive Policy Council, was one of the co-signers of a letter to the Trump Administration asking for relief from the newly imposes tariffs. See the letter here.
· President Trump has indicated an openness to reconsidering the administration’s 25 percent tariffs on imported automotive parts… As you know, existing automotive supply chains are global and complex. They are also exceedingly fragile...
· It only takes the failure of one supplier to lead to a shutdown of an automaker’s production line. When this happens, as it did during the pandemic, all suppliers are impacted, and workers will lose their jobs…
· We support more manufacturing and additional supply chains that run through the United States, but it is not possible to reroute global supply chains overnight or even in months. This will take time…
Last Entry in Martin Parade of Scandals
The latest in the seemingly never-ending Ed Martin embarrassments... Back when he was involved in his legal war to control the Schlafly Eagles, he ghostwrote online attacks against the judge.
ProPublica reports… After [the judge] dealt Martin a major setback in the case in October 2016, the attacks began. The Facebook user who posted them, Priscilla Gray, had worked in several roles for Schlafly but was not a party to the case, and her comments read like those of an aggrieved outsider. Almost two years later, the truth emerged… Behind the posts about the judge was none other than Martin.
$5K+ Contributions
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $25,000 from GOPAC Election Fund - Federal PAC.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Rep. Ann Kelley, Ingrid Burnett, and Daris Davis.
Condolences
To Congressman Bob Onder on the passing of his father, Robert Onder Sr. See the obituary here.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Assumption Catholic Church (4725 Mattise Rd. 63128) on Monday, April 28 at 10:00 am.