Thursday, July 14, 2011
Carnahan Outraises Clay Again
Although as of this morning he hadn’t yet filed with the FEC, Congressman Russ Carnahan raised $206k last quarter, according to the St. Louis Beacon. (Read it Here). His cash on-hand total is $375k.
Carnahan continues to outraise Rep. Lacy Clay, who only raised $82,240 and has $268,504 in the bank.
It’s expected that Carnahan will march off into an uphill battle for the 2-CD, but his money advantage will surely farther talk of an intriguing scenario where he keep his current residency and fights Clay for the city’s lone congressional seat.
Akin: Weak Quarter
Rep. Todd Akin reported raising $500,000 for his Senate campaign. It was hailed as a strong showing, but let’s get real: it’s half of Sen. Claire McCaskill’s $1.4 million haul and Akin still has a primary to navigate.
He now has $1.1 million on-hand (to McCaskill’s $3 million). It’ll be interesting to see what businessman John Brunner plucked down to seed his campaign. If he drops a cool million, it levels the money playing field immediately and would encourage Republicans to think more strategically about their general election candidate rather than jumping behind arch-conservative Akin.
The Case for Zweifel
As the cycle starts up again, State Treasurer Clint Zweifel’s team feels confident. Here’s the case for Zweifel to win re-election.
First, fundraising is ahead of plan. When they release their July quarter, look for lots of small donors. They’ve expanded their base of donors by about 35%, and considering that last cycle they out-raised Sen. Brad Lager, they’re confident that they will have a money advantage again, if he’s the Republican nominee.
Second, Zweifel’s name ID is underestimated by his detractors. Zweifel never shut down his political operations. He has kept a steady flow of good news press releases flowing to local radio stations, and newspapers.
Finally, history is on Zweifel’s side. Although it’s often noted that down-ballot incumbents rarely lose, it’s less of a rule and more of a law when a governor of the same party is up for re-election. Only once in the last ninety years has that happened. That’s because an incumbent governor necessarily keeps a race close enough that the incumbent isn’t facing a strong head-wind.
If You Could Only Run a Campaign on a Golf Course...
Yesterday Speaker Steve Tilley held his annual golf tournament…. Ameren’s Matt Forck, ATT’s Craig Unruh, MORX’s Ron Fitzwater, AB’s Ted Powers, MO Chamber’s Richard Moore, MO Health Care’s Nikki Strong, SITE’s Terry Briggs, SSM’s Judy Dungan, Andy Blunt, MADA’s Phil Schneider… It felt like someone rounded up the Capitol gang from the Rotunda and plopped them down in Farmington…
But once that cognitive dissonance melted away, the event was characterized mainly by the meticulous attention to detail that Tilley typically brings to his political efforts. Though organizers had to open up new morning tee times when the event was oversubscribed, it appeared to go off without a hitch. Golfers were impressed at the military-style precision of the day’s events, with the logistics handled by trusted Tilley lieutenant Logan Thompson.
While Democrats might pooh-pooh this – Who cares if he can run a golf tournament? – it’s not as easy to dismiss the fact that the tournament raised a fresh $380k, immediately after posting a $347k quarter.
Jay Nixon, Loyal Democrat!
Earlier this week Governor Jay Nixon exhorted Democrats to band together to deny Tilley a special session legislative victory. Apparently his home county senator Ryan McKenna – who spent much of yesterday riding with Tilley, visiting with each threesome, and demonstrating his golf prowess – did not get the memo.
One Dem wryly observed that after 20 years of being the MO Democratic Party’s lone wolf, renowned for his lack of interest in being a team player, Jay’s attempts to enforce party loyalty rang a bit hollow. And yet, he is the Governor. And in a term-limited environment, legislators who perpetually have their eye on the next move are generally loathe to buck a governor with dozens of plum jobs and appointments to disburse….
And
It’s hardly news at this hour, but Tilley formally launched his Lieutenant Governor bid, unveiling a large Tilley for LG banner, and giving away Tilley for LG t-shirts etc…
Amazon’s Tax Wars
Amazon decides to pursue a statewide referendum in California to escape their sales tax. Read it Here.
Lobbyist Principal Changes
From the Pelopidas website:
Matt Hill added Missouri Dairy Products Association, Missouri Rental Dealers Association, Silverleaf Resorts LTD, Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, St. Louis Zoo, Express Scripts, Luxottica Retail, Missouri Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors; and deleted Missouri Botanical Garden, and Titlemax.
$5k+ Contributions
Ford Motor Company Civic Action Fund Missouri – $7,500 from Ford Motor Civic Action Fund.
Jay Nixon for Missouri - $25,000 from Larry Neff.
MO State Teachers Assoc Legislative Impact Co - $8,000 from Greater Kansas City Region MSTA.
Birthdays
Lobbyist David Winton turns 43 today.
Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford hits #57 on Saturday.
Sunday, the Richard Callow celebrates his birthday.