Monday, September 10, 2012

Put The Weight on Humphreys?

The Republican statewide candidates are facing depleted bank accounts from their various primaries.  It was expected that they would quickly replenish their resources after the primary, and re-level the playing field.  Not yet.

In the secretary of state’s race, I figured those who were on the sidelines would enter once there was a candidate.  Hasn’t happened.

In the treasurer and attorney general race, I thought donors might fund Cole McNary or Ed Martin in hopes of scuffing up potential 2016 Democratic gubernatorial nominees.  Nothing doing.

As a result, last week’s stunning statistic: Democratic secretary of state candidate, State Representative Jason Kander, has more cash on hand than the Republican candidates for lieutenant governor (Peter Kinder), secretary of state (Shane Schoeller), attorney general (Marin) and treasurer (McNary) COMBINED.

Surely, the heavies (Rex Sinquefield, Stan Herzog, Sam Fox, David Humphreys and mom and sis) will show up and bail out their home team, right?  That’s a lot of weight for them to carry… the whole slate needs financing at this point.

So What’s Wrong With the GOP Candidates?

The guess is that it’s a confluence of three factors.

First, the primaries.  While it doesn’t explain everything (McNary was unopposed, for example), it did send Kinder and Schoeller back square one in terms of cash on-hand.
Second, a general lack of enthusiasm.  There’s been rage at ObamaCare etc, but the whole cycle in Missouri has been characterized by a casting about for better candidates.   Since Steve Tilley withdrew (and in the process sucked over a million dollars out of the cycle for Republicans) and Kinder retreated, the ticket has been in an evolving form of disarray.  No one was really happy with the US Senate candidates, much less the winner, and even far less the winner “after Jaco.”

But third, and maybe most importantly, several politicos believe that Republicans with ambitions have simply become too reliant on the “mega-donors” of their party.  “When you get $400K from one guy, you don’t feel the need to put in the work with $200 folks.”

This could be considered “working smart,” and clearly Democrats Jay Nixon and Chris Koster have proven it’s not purely a Republican disease.  But the flip side appears to be a laziness in cultivating and growing the grassroots donors.

Campaign Committee 30-Day Reports

House Republican Campaign Committee raised $444,780; spent $136,381; and has $1,220,654 on-hand.

House Democratic Campaign Committee raised $15,850; spent $49,585; and has $131,409 on-hand.

Senate Republican Campaign Committee (“Missouri Senate Cmapaign Committee) raised $70,150; spent $17,655 and has $273,710 on-hand.

Senate Democratic Campaign Committee raised $16,630; spent $8,157; and has $98,140 on-hand.

And

Sarah Wood Martin who joined the House Democratic Campaign Committee team at the start of the summer, is now exiting…

Nixon Vs Democrats

The Democratic Governors Association did direct mail against a number of state representatives around the issue of overriding Jay Nixon’s auto tax veto. They even targeted some Democrats (including unopposed Karla May). Read it here.

The motivation for targeting their already diminished House minority is hard to fathom.  Readers, help me out here.

Beacon: Akin Drop Deadline Earlier Than September 25

St. Louis Beacon reports that the deadline for Todd Akin to drop his US Senate bid (which he has said about 50 different ways that he’s not going to) is earlier than the six weeks out date in the Missouri statutes.   That’s due to the need to get ballots to Missourians overseas.  Read it here.

What’s Next for Callahan?

What’s next for term limited Sen. Victor Callahan?  Tony’s KC says that it might be Jackson County Executive.  Read it here.

Chicago Strike

Folks are watching the impending strike of Chicago public schoolteachers for larger implications.  Read NYTimes on the situation here.

From this morning’s Politico Score: “THE BIG PICTURE: There's a glimmer of truth to the old joke that the Democratic Party is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the teacher's unions. But the tide has really begun to turn in the last few years, and the zeitgeist is moving firmly against labor. If Rahm wins this battle - and his political future depends on not caving - it will be covered as another nail in the coffin. Coming just three months after the failed effort to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, this could really open the floodgates.

And

No strike at Noranda… “Workers at the Noranda Aluminum Smelter in New Madrid will not be walking the picket lines. Friday evening members of the United Steelworkers Union ratified a new five year contract.”  Read it here.

NYTimes on KC

NYTimes writes about Google Fiber and Kansas City’s racial divide.

“The specter that many blacks in this city might not get access to this technology has inflamed the long racial divide here, stoking concern that it could deepen…

“For generations, Kansas City has been riven by racial segregation that can still be seen, with a majority of blacks in the urban core confined to neighborhoods in the east. Troost Avenue has long been considered the dividing line, the result of both overt and secretive efforts to keep blacks out of white schools and housing areas and of historical patterns of population growth and settlement, said Micah Kubic, with the nonprofit Greater Kansas City Local Initiatives Support Corporation.”  Read it here.

eMailbag

On the Dozens

Republican legislator: “Thanks for the link to the dozens. Had no idea what that meant!”

Lobbyist Registrations

From the Pelopidas website:

Brent Hemphill deleted The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Scott Snively added CA Inc.

$5K+Contributions

Putting Kids First in Boone County - $10,000 from Great Circle.

Putting Kids First in Boone County - $12,500 from Pathways Community Health.

Missourians for Health and Edcuation - $10,000 from DST Systems Inc.

Friends of Susan Carlson - $15,000 from Gerald Greiman.

Kander for Missouri - $6,000 from Western MO & KS Laborers’ District Council.

Citizens for Our Library and Our Community - $75,000 from Civic Progress Action Committee.

Missourians for Koster - $10,000 from Benchmark HM, LLC.

Missourians for Fair and Impartial Courts - $20,000 from Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP.

Missourian for Health and Education - $9,514 from American Cancer Society, Cancer Action Network.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Paul Woody (33).