MOScout Daily Update: Adams for House? - Eslinger in Senate 33 - Pairs to Watch - Bed Bugs in Truman Building! and more...

 The Once and Future State Rep?

Word is that former Rep. Joe Adams is considering a run at his old seat, House 86.  He vacated it to run for state senate, losing to Sen. Brian Williams.

The current incumbent, Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal is term limited

Personality Pairs to Watch

We’re about six weeks away from the state of session.  Looking ahead, it appears that once again, there will be a few key relationships that will determine the year ahead.  Watch the interaction between various personalities.

Speaker Elijah Haahr and Floor Leader Rob Vescovo

Unlike the Senate side where the Pro Tem and Floor Leader historically work closely together, on the House side there are numerous examples in of times when a speaker and a floor leader have been operating two different game plans.  The tension between these positions is partly due to the House’s relatively rigid succession routine.  The floor leader is ascending and the speaker is term limited.

Beyond the natural dynamic of shifting power, Haahr and Vescovo haven’t always had their ships sailing in the same direction whether its tax credit reform or how closely to work with the Senate’s Conservative Caucus.

Reps. Dean Plocher and Curtis Trent

Probably less about these actual individuals than their respective “camps” getting fired up as the two hurtle towards a showdown next November over who will be the next House floor leader.

In one sense, the stakes seem low.  There will be a Republican majority regardless of the outcome, and these two probably agree on 95% of the issues.  But that doesn’t mean there are plenty of interest groups who are adamant that one of them is better on their specific issue, be it tort reform, or education reform.  In truth, these difference may be more a matter of emphasis than actual position, but if folks get fired up about this race, it could have messy consequences for the House.

Sens. Bill Eigel and Lincoln Hough

There doesn’t seem to be much love lost between these two senators.  And yet it’s really larger than these two legislators.  It’s the relationship between the Conservative Caucus and the Senate Regulars.  Still policy disagreements ain’t no big shake.  That’s the reason we all travel to Jefferson City for five months.

The danger is a Senate blow-up or the upper chamber becoming “dysfunctional.”  This grows more acute if the politics gets personalized. 

So keep an eye if normal courtesies aren’t extended, or legislative maneuvers gets petty, or floor debate gets acidic.

Eslinger in Senate 33

Rep. Karla Eslinger announced her bid for Senate 33.  She joins Rep. Robert Ross and former Rep. Van Kelly in a three-way Republican primary.  From the announcement: Karla, a resident of Wasola, currently sits on the Elementary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development committees in the Missouri House of Representatives. As a State Representative, she voted to pass an innovative jobs plan that helps companies grow the number of people they hire. She supports a Workforce Development plan that combines various efforts to train and retrain workers in high demand industries, promotes more Missourians to go back and finish their college degree, and puts a bigger emphasis on technical schools. She also passed the state’s strongest pro-life bill and is a strong supporter of second amendment rights…

Eslinger has a little over $5,000 cash on-hand according her October campaign finance report.

Dems Target Helms

Springfield News Leader reports on the Democrats eyeing Springfield for a possible House pick-up next year.  See it here.

Republicans have won House District 135, which generally covers the area between National Avenue and U.S. 65 from Kearney Street south to Battlefield Mall, every election since new maps were drawn in 2013.

But the margin of victory has gotten smaller in each of the last two elections, the tightest of any Springfield race.

Last year, when other area Republicans won races by 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 votes, Rep. Steve Helms defeated Homegrown Food owner Rob Bailey by just 836 votes.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said that’s enough to make the 135th a “target district” in 2020.

She noted that U.S. Senate candidate Jason Kander, Sen. Claire McCaskill and Auditor Nicole Galloway all carried the district in recent years, which a News-Leader analysis of election results confirmed…. Betsy Fogle, who recently announced a run for the seat, aims to prove Quade right…

MCTA Correction

Yikers I messed up yesterday confusing MCTA with MTIA.  I pulled the content down immediately when it was brought to my attention, so you may have been spared it.  But I apologize to those who suffered through the blunder.

Bits

·         Brittany Ruess announced on Twitter that she’s leaving the Office of Administration, where’s she’s director of communications.  She’ll be joining the Jefferson City School District.

·         Jason Hancock reports that Richard McIntosh is among those seeking the Kansas City lobbying contract.  See it here.

·         Governor Mike Parson appointed Amanda Bundren McNelley as Associate Circuit Judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit.

·         I wrote a few weeks ago about the state issuing an RFP to help implement the “closing fund”.  The Post-Dispatch reports on it here.  “The extra cost to taxpayers remains secret.”

·         News Tribune reports of “bed bugs” in the Truman Building.  See it here.

New Committees

Duell Lauderdale formed a candidate committee (Lauderdale for the Lake) to run for House 124 as a Republican.  The current incumbent, Republican Rep. Rocky Miller, is term limited.

James Kalberloh formed a candidate committee (Friends to Elect Jim Kalberloh) to run for House 125 as a Republican. The current incumbent, Republican Rep. Waren Love, is term limited.

$5K+ Contributions

Keep Government Accountable- $50,000 from Missouri Drive Fund.

Missouri Forward PAC - $10,000 from MO Majority PAC.

Growth and Opportunity PAC - $10,000 from Surgical Care of Independence Inc.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Kelli Dunaway.

Saturday: Sen. Justin Brown, Rep. Cheri Toalson Reisch, Penney Wood Rector, and Jeff Grisamore.