MOScout Weekender: Let Parson Be Parson - WWTW - Weekly Poll - Hallway Index and more...

Getting Passed Around: Let Parson Be Parson

Phill Brooks writes in the Columbia Tribune (see it here):  Parson’s handling of [bonding and DOR] is a complete opposite of the man I covered when he was in the Missouri Senate.

He was a skilled negotiator who could bring together differing sides. He demonstrated that when he built a coalition of animal-rights advocates and livestock farmers to modify the voter-approved restrictions of “puppy mills” that farmers feared endangered their livelihoods.

As a senator, Parson’s door always was open.

But his approach has changed since he became governor. I’ve not seen Parson wandering legislative hallways to confer with lawmakers. His access by reporters is brief and tightly constricted…

From easy-access discussions with legislators and reporters, Parson could have learned there were legitimate questions about Walters’ management of the Revenue Department and his inconsistent responses at legislative committee hearings.

Instead, Parson’s access to journalists has become almost as restricted as former Gov. Eric Greitens.

It’s been such a dramatic change in Parson’s approach that I wonder if he’s been over-handled by staff and/or advisers.

If so, they are doing him a disservice. They should let Mike Parson be himself….

People on the Move

·         Shane Kinne announced on Facebook that he’s leaving Missouri Corn Association: “Sometimes for new adventures to begin, good things must come to an end. Last day on Missouri Corn staff. Thank you for 8 incredible years! Excited to join team Vivayic.com!”

·         DNR Director Carol Comer announced “We are excited to welcome Craig Redmon to @MoDNR as the new Director of the @MO_DivofEnergy - we are looking forward to what we can achieve together!”

·         Governor Mike Parson appointed Calea Stovall-Reid as Circuit Judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

MOScout Poll: Trump Match-Ups

The MOScout Weekly Poll shows Republicans firmly behind Trump regardless of the Democratic candidate.  Obviously, numbers will move once the campaign begins, but right now it looks very hard for Dems.  See the full results here.

Survey conducted April 10 through April 11, 2019. 955 likely 2020 General Election voters participated in the survey. Survey weighted to match expected turnout demographics for the 2020 General Election. Margin of Error is +/-3.3%.

Q1: Possible candidates in the 2020 General Election for President of the United States are the Republican Donald Trump and the Democrat Joe Biden. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?

Donald Trump: 51%

Joe Biden: 43%

Undecided: 6%

Q2: Possible candidates in the 2020 General Election for President of the United States are the Republican Donald Trump and the Democrat Bernie Sanders. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?

Donald Trump: 51%

Bernie Sanders: 39%

Undecided: 10%

Q3: Possible candidates in the 2020 General Election for President of the United States are the Republican Donald Trump and the Democrat Beto O’Rourke. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?

Donald Trump: 51%

Beto O’Rourke: 38%

Undecided: 11%

Q4: Possible candidates in the 2020 General Election for President of the United States are the Republican Donald Trump and the Democrat Kamala Harris. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?

Donald Trump: 52%

Kamala Harris: 36%

Undecided: 12%

MOScout’s Hallway Index:

This week, I asked which statewide elected is most vulnerable in 2020.  Amazingly LG Mike Kehoe, who hasn’t been elected statewide yet and has one of the lowest profile office, received the fewest votes for that designation. 27 responses… 

RESULTS

Governor Mike Parson… 25.9%

Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe… 3.7%

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft… 7.4%

Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick… 57.1%

Attorney General Eric Schmitt… 25.9%

Sample of Comments

·         I went with Kehoe. When you look across both the primary and general cycle, he’s got the most vulnerability in the context of a primary. There’s no love lost from conservatives in the Senate, has been a long time proponent of tax increases for roads, questions about the appropriateness of his appointment, and (other than Parson) gained the most of the Greitens resignation.

·         Legitimately, none of them face any real threat.

·         None of these folks are gonna face significant opposition from the far right or left.

·         You need an option for none of them. The Dems’ bench is embarrassing and the National politics are unlikely to help Dems on a statewide ballot.

·         If the DGA decided to make it a race they’re the only way a Dem statewide has access to enough money to make one of these serious.

·         I listed Parson only because he’s the biggest target. The Dems could capitalize on a possible Trump collapse, but only if they have the right nominees in place. They had better get their shit together or else it will be a Republican sweep regardless of the Presidential race.

·         Tough call - only picking Fitzpatrick because he probably has the least amount of name ID and voters generally don't care much about the treasurer's office.

·         At this point none are very vulnerable but if the Dems are gonna go after one, why wouldn’t they go for the top?

·         I would say Fitzpatrick because he hasn't run or won a statewide race before and is less practiced as a public speaker than the others. Also it's not a great position to raise money from unless there's a direct line of sight to an office that donors care about (Gov/Lt. Gov/AG/US Sen).

Who Won the Week?

Mike Parson, Dave Schatz, Caleb Rowden – Senate freezes starts to thaw and Republican priorities begin to creep forward

House of Representatives – Still hundreds of millions of dollars short with Tax Day looming, imagine the outcry if they hadn’t been asking questions of the Department of Revenue.

House Dems – With a pair of Republican anti-vax bills in committee, Dems have the chance to become the party that believes in vaccines. 

Nexus Group – Hiring economic development guru Sallie Hemenway wins cheers from folks in the building.

Find a downloadable version here.

New Committees

Heather Dodd formed a candidate committee (Citizens For Heather Dodd) to run for House 40 as a Republican.

Lobbyist Registrations

Jeff Danielson added American Wind Energy Association.

Shane Kinne deleted Missouri Corn Growers Association.

$5K+ Contributions

Unite STL - $300,000 from John McDonnell.

National Health Corporation Missouri Federal Committee - $10,000 from National Health Corporation Political Action Committee.

UAW Region 5 Midwest State Political Action Committee - $6,000 from UAW Region 5 Exchange Account.