MOScout Daily Update: New Ads - Roorda Polling Memo - McDowell Fudged Resume? and more...
New Ads: Shields in Senate 8
Democrat Hillary Shields, challenging Sen. Mike Cierpiot in Senate 8, released her first ad. See it here. It’s called “Being Heard” and the first half of the commercial only the back side of her head is seen as she’s listening to constituents. While the ad touching on traditional themes – education etc – the main promise she makes is to listen.
New Ads: Amendment 2
Amendment 2 – the New Approach constitutional amendment for medical marijuana legalization – released an TV ad. See it here. It features a veteran describing the pain of battle injuries and asking Missourians to “please stand with us (veterans) by voting yes.” Hard to say No to that.
Roorda: I’m Winning
Jeff Roorda, running for Jefferson County Executive, released an internal poll which shows him winning his race. See the polling memo here.
From the Memo
Q1. If the election for Jefferson County Executive were held today, would you vote for: Republican Dennis Gannon, Democrat Jeff Roorda, or undecided?
Dennis Gannon: 34.9%
Jeff Roorda: 39.8%
Undecided/Did Not Respond: 25.3%
Q2. (SPLIT SAMPLE) If the election for State Senator were held today, would you vote for: Republican Paul Wieland, Democrat Robert Butler, Libertarian Richie Camden, or undecided?
Paul Wieland: 39.4%
Robert Butler: 37.2%
Richie Camden: 2.9%
Undecided/Did Not Respond: 20.5%
Q4. (SPLIT SAMPLE) How do you plan to vote on PROPOSITION B, the November 6th ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage from $7.85 to $8.60? Do you plan to vote: yes or no or are you undecided?
YES: 66.1%
NO: 7.6%
Undecided/Did Not Respond: 26.3%
McDowell Exaggerated on Work Duties
The first-rate Jason Hancock reports that Saundra McDowell, the Republican candidate for auditor, exaggerated her work in the attorney general’s office. See it here.
“McDowell never worked in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the division of the attorney general’s office that prosecutes Medicaid fraud… Additionally, auditors and investigators involved in those appeals didn’t work for McDowell’s division or the attorney general’s office…
Joanna Trachtenberg, an attorney in Columbia, served as chief counsel and director of the attorney general’s Medicaid Provider Fraud Unit during the time when McDowell worked for the attorney general’s office… [she said] ‘Saundra McDowell never worked in my division and did not handle any of these prosecutions.’”
And
Apparently McDowell has been ducking the press. See Jo Mannies’ “ Hope to hear from her” tweet here.
The Talk: Eyeing the AG Spot
With a month until Election Day, there’s more chatter about the possibility of Governor Mike Parson appointing a new attorney general – if Hawley wins.
One source says that Parson would be inclined to appoint someone already at the statewide level – Treasurer Eric Schmitt or Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. It would give the governor a “two-fer” because then he’d be able to fill that vacancy. However other names are still being mentioned as legitimate possibilities, including Speaker Todd Richardson, despite the Medicaid Director rumors.
The Talk: Skelton Upset Some Dems
Tipster writes in… “In this Rudi Keller report from the front lines in Boone County House races, he quotes HD50 Democratic challenger Michela Skelton thusly about her rematch with freshman GOP Rep. Sara Walsh: ‘In the last year I have been working hard to make up in the places where I had gaps last year,’ Skelton said at the fundraiser…. Skelton may think areas where she did well in the special election are locked down. That’s not the case. Skelton helped fracture Boone County Democrats in the August primary by publicly backing the unknown, untested challenger to incumbent Democratic Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill… Atwill won the August primary by 27 percentage points. That was just two months ago, and now Atwill is cruising to another term over a nutty Republican while it’s Skelton in a competitive race. She made no friends by trying to undermine the popular Atwill, originally a Jay Nixon appointee who has won twice before….”
Pence Visit
Press advisory: Vice President Mike Pence will meet Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley in Springfield, Mo., at the Airfield S.R.E. Facility. They will then head to a reception-style speaking event for Josh Hawley at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield, Mo.
Politico on Kav Impact
Politico writes about how the Kavanaugh confirmation process will impact next month’s elections. See it here. Missouri gets some spotlight with cameos from Gregg Keller (“It’s Republicans who were not going to vote in the midterm election now being willing to crawl over glass to vote in the election”) and Roy Temple (“I think Republicans would have had a stronger point if Kavanaugh were defeated,” Temple said. “Then you would have sustained anger on their side. It's not been my experience that elation is the fuel that drives people to the polls.”)
Finally
Worth the read from the NYTimes. See it here. “Elsa Koditschek was living in a prosperous section of Vienna, near the foothills of the Alps, when the Nazis, who had annexed Austria, confiscated her home in 1940. A German officer, a squad leader in the SS, soon moved in. Mrs. Koditschek, a Jew, was allowed to stay on, in an upstairs apartment, a tenant in her own house for about a year, until a deportation edict arrived ordering her to a bleak, uncertain future in a Polish ghetto. She fled instead…”
The Missouri connection… Ted Koditschek, Mrs. Koditschek’s grandson and a history professor emeritus at the University of Missouri…
New Committees
Citizens For A Better Parkville was formed. It’s a PAC. Its treasurer is Misty Snodgrass.
Help Wanted
Jobs with Justice seeks Field Canvasser. “Canvassers will work closely with the Regional Field Manager to reach out to voters in the Kansas City area about TWO major campaigns: Raising Missouri's State-wide Minimum Wage and CLEAN Missouri aimed at getting dirty $money$ OUT of politics… Salary: $15.00 /hour…”
$5K+ Contributions
SaferMO.Com- $50,000 from Continental Cement.
MSCEW PAC Federal Cmte - $50,000 from IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund.
MSCEW PAC Federal Cmte - $40,000 from IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund.
MSCEW PAC Federal Cmte - $40,000 from IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund.
Raise Up Missouri - $641,000 from Sixteen Thirty Fund (Washington DC).
House Republican Campaign Committee - $5,001 from Sharpe for Rep.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $11,000 from Citizens to Elect Bruce DeGroot.
New Approach Missouri - $10,000 from American Family Media.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Pat Conway, and Emily Wright.