MOScout Daily Update: The Other Dem Ground Game? - Senate 16 # - Tech Goes Where Regs Are? and more....
The Other Dem Ground Game?
It seems like almost every week six-figure checks have been reported heading into campaigns for this cycle’s ballot initiative.
For example, Raise Up Missouri, the campaign to raise the minimum wage has reported these huge checks.
10/7 - $641,000 from Sixteen Thirty Fund (Washington DC).
9/29 - $100,000 from The Fairness Project (Washington DC).
9/22 - $500,000 from Black Progressive Action Coalition (New York).
9/2 - $3,000,000 from Sixteen Thirty Fund (Washington DC).
8/28 - $150,000 from SEIU Missouri State Council PAC.
Here are some for CLEAN Missouri.
10/2 - $300,000 from Action Now Initiative (Houston).
9/6 - $300,000 from Action Now Initiative (Houston).
8/29 - $150,000 from SEIU Missouri State Council PAC.
8/28 - $250,000 from Nation Education Association (Washington DC).
8/20 - $250,000 from Missouri National Education Association Ballot Issue Crisis Fund.
These are all sums after the millions that went to get the issues placed on the ballot.
What It Means
The ballot initiatives this cycle are largely ones while having crossover appeal, will motivate Democratic voters – raising the minimum wage, changing redistricting, medical marijuana. The huge sums coming in to advance the campaigns will have a turnout impact favorable to Dems.
Senate 16 Numbers
Today is the deadline for October campaign finance filings. Some folks submitted their early over the weekend. For example, both candidates in Senate 16…
Democrat Ryan Dillon raised $16,996; spent $13,941; and has $73,305 on-hand.
Republican Justin Brown raised $43,202; spent $13,626; and has $37,383 on-hand.
And
The Phelps Count Focus ran an interesting profile of Justin Brown. See it here.
Excerpts…
Leaving the cow pasture behind, Brown headed southbound over gravel roads. Between the regular rumble and turns Brown shared that his path through life was also not so smooth. Back in 1995 he and his wife, Laura, were high school sweethearts when she became pregnant at 16 years old when Brown was just a senior.
“When you’re a Republican you’re expected to be prolife and everything else, but my wife and I had to make that choice ourselves,” Brown says. “That was not a popular thing back then, but it was not even a thought of not having our son and taking the responsibility. We did have some try to talk us into an abortion, and there were others who tried to discourage us. But we both had strong Christian family backgrounds.”
Their son, Tristin, was born in 1996. Today he’s attending college at Mizzou. Brown and his wife remain married and have since added another son, Brody, as well as a daughter, Kennedy.
Brown says abortion is one of the issues he plans to focus on if elected to the state senate. Others areas of interest he mentioned Thursday were Tort reform and combating the opioid crisis.
“There is real opportunity to make a difference in Jeff City right now,” Brown said. “This will be one of the larger incoming classes of state senators who aren’t career politicians. Most of them own their own businesses back in their districts. To me that’s huge. When you own your own business it forces you to be a little more fiscally conservative. Our revenues are down right now in the State of Missouri, so we need to be as conservative as we can and save money where possible.”
Corenjo for St. Chuck Exec?
Former Rep. Robert Cornejo amended his committee to say that he’s running for St. Charles County Executive in 2020. His October quarter showed $92K in the bank. Eagle-eyed report readers will note that days before resigning Cornejo spent $2,000 for “Electronics for Campaigning.” Hopefully the tech’s not obsolete by 2020…
Prepping for AVs
Axios reports on the future of self-driving car. Read it here. “By year's end, anyone in metro Phoenix (not just a handful of early participants) will be able to summon an autonomous vehicle from Waymo using an app on their phone. The nation’s first commercial robo-taxi service will be limited to certain areas, but the territory will gradually expand as the cars get even smarter with experience…
What we’re watching: It’s unlikely we’ll see any movement on federal legislation around AVs [autonomous vehicles] this year, unless Congress decides to tackle it during a lame duck session after the November election, which means companies will continue to focus their development efforts in states with the most favorable laws.”
Bits
Politico’s Huddle reports “Jennifer Shapiro has been promoted to chief of staff in Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's (D-Mo.) office. She previously served as deputy chief of staff.”
Tipster says TV ad prices heating up in Mid-MO: The columbia/JC media market is coming in at over $500 per gross rating point and we are still three weeks out. That market and Springfield always see jumps but that's massive especially for a non presidential/gubernatorial year.
SaferMO.Com released a video “whiteboard” explaining how the funding would work. See it here.
Burly Golfy Postponed, Reception Still On
From: Eric Burlison <eric_burlison@mail.vresp.com>
Subject: Change of schedule
I just wanted everyone to know that Monday's weather forecast is causing a change in the schedule of events.
The 5:00-6:30pm reception at the Fremont Hills Country Club will REMAIN as schedule for this Monday, October 15th.
However, the Golf Tournament will be postponed to Monday, October 29th. The Golf Tournament will still be followed by a 5:00pm reception on the 29th…
New Committees
Christina Smith formed a candidate committee to run for Senate 6 as a Write-In. It’s an exemption committee, so she won’t raise or spend more than $500.
$5K+ Contributions
MOVE Ballot Fund - $250,000 from America Votes (Washington DC).
MACFPD Campaign Committee - $150,000 from MO Assn of Career Fire Protection Dist.
Uniting Missouri PAC - $10,000 from US Tool Group.
Professional Firefighters of Tri-County PAC - $10,000 from Fenton Firefighter Community Outreach.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Chrissy Sommer, and the Senate’s Dean Morgan.