MOScout Daily Update: Mathews Resigns - Peters Baker for Dem Chair - Meet Fair MO

Meet Fair Missouri

Fair Missouri was formed.  It’s a campaign committee formed to support “measures to reform Missouri redistricting” on the November 2020 ballot.  Its treasurer is Eddie Greim, a conservative attorney who works on ballot questions.

The Republican State Committee had seeded the new committee with an initial deposit of $150,000.

What It Means

This is an indication that Missouri Republicans are serious about revising the redistricting process contained in the CLEAN Missouri amendment.

There will legal challenges leveled at CLEAN.  But this shows they are already mobilizing to put a proposal on the November 2020 ballot as a back-up plan.

Mathews Resigns

Kirk Mathews resigned his seat ahead of the long Thanksgiving weekend. Mathews had represented Eureka, parts of Wildwood, and some of Franklin County as a state representative.  He’s well-liked, but had decided not run for a third term earlier this year.

Some folks had expected a clump of resignations as a result of CLEAN’s passage.  By resigning now, they are governed by the current six-month wait period before lobbying – and with an exemption for working for a state agency, instead of the more stringent and longer two-year wait period.  CLEAN will take effect in early December.

It’s unclear if Mathews’ resignation is a result of wanting to keep options like lobbying open or not.

Peters Baker for Dem Party Chair

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced on twitter (see it here) that she is running for Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party.

Peters Baker is a heavyweight compared to the people who have previously expressed interest in the job.  We’ll see if the state committee votes fall as easily into her column as I imagine.

One Republican trying to suss out the implications of the news… “Can we assume she’s running for US Senate in 2022 if she’s doing this in 2020?”

We’ll see…