MOScout Daily Update: Dunn for Senate 9? - Sifton Endorses Galloway - PP's AHC Hearing Postponed - O'Laughlin on Tax Credits and more....

Sifton Endorses Galloway

Dems took an important step toward 2020 unity yesterday as Sen. Scott Sifton, who previously expressed interest in a gubernatorial run, endorsed Auditor Nicole Galloway for that race.

Speculation will not rumble around Sifton and what seat he will pursue instead. 

The best guess is that Sifton ends up in the lieutenant governor or treasurer spot.  Those two incumbents – Mike Kehoe and Scott Fitzpatrick – were appointed and haven’t run statewide.  Therefore they presumably have the lowest name ID and will be the easiest targets.

We’ll see….

And

Look for an official announcement from Galloway in August.

Rumorville: Dunn for Senate 9

Tipster says that former Rep. Randy Dunn is “seriously considering” a bid for Senate 9 where Sen. Kiki Curls is term limited. Former Rep. DaRon McGee had been thought to be the cinch for that seat until last session when he suddenly resigned at the conclusion of a House Ethics Committee investigation into sexual harassment allegations.

Of Dunn’s possible entry, the tipster writes: “Great news for KC, bad news of McGee.”

O’Laughlin Outlines Incentive Skepticism

Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, chair of the Interim Committee on Tax Credit Efficiency and Reform, posted on Facebook…

Next week the first meeting of the interim committee on tax credits will be held. I am chairing this committee and the stated purpose is to look at tax credits and determine the effectiveness of them….  I have a couple deep reservations about tax credits and here they are:

1) The bulk of tax credits go to large businesses; yet small businesses create 2/3 of net new jobs and drive innovation and competitiveness… Most of these large businesses are in the cities so it's a negative for the rural areas (which I am HIGHLY sensitive to.)… For the private market to work as it should there must be competition….

2) How are we measuring the "benefit" we're getting?... There's a model called the REMI model which supposedly can give you an indication of the benefit vs. the cost of tax credits and incentives. So considering I own and run a business with my husband I thought I'd ask about this formula so I could have a better understanding. Thus far I have not been given the formula. I've been told it's really quite complicated. My response is with enough study I think I'm capable of understanding most things…

This is not a blanket condemnation of all economic incentives but I would like to understand better why we are doing some of the things we're doing. I would also like small businesses and rural America to be taken into account and right now I'm not at all sure that's even a factor….

Planned Parenthood AHC Hearing Moved to Oct

KCStar’s Crystal Thomas reports: “The administrative hearing commissioner in the Planned Parenthood license renewal case will continue Aug. 1 hearing to Oct. 28, at the request of both sides. Five days will be set aside. A stay allows the St. Louis clinic to continue to offer abortions throughout the case.”

What It Means

It just keeps prolonging this saga.  Remember Governor Mike Parson wanted his administration to be focused on workforce development and infrastructure.  Instead he’s the champion of closing the last abortion clinic, and banning abortions with no exemption for rape. 

What that means: off message.

eMailbag: Dem View of Abortion Politics

Trump didn't get thrashed in the suburbs in 2016. He won most of them. Hawley got thrashed in some suburbs in 2018… A million things will happen between now and the election. Those things will probably be more decisive than the abortion bill. But the crazy legislature did Parson no favor by putting *that* abortion bill on his desk. Is it the thing that will swing elections towards democrats? Probably not. But because republicans can no longer think in terms of nuance or shades of gray, they'll end up further isolating and agitating minority, female and young voters -- the growing electorate…

Cierpiot on Roeber Recovery

Sen. Mike Cierpiot visited with recuperating Rep. Rebecca Roeber, and tweets this update: Rebecca Roeber is making tremendous progress. Her sense of humor has completely healed.

Rothman-Serot Passes

From the Post-Dispatch: Geri Rothman-Serot, a three-time survivor of breast cancer, died Tuesday morning of a rare bone cancer in Florida, her son, Daniel Rothman, told the Post-Dispatch. She was 75.  Ms. Rothman-Serot spent two decades in the political spotlight, first serving as the wife of former state House Speaker Ken Rothman, who became lieutenant governor in 1980 and made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 1984. The two later divorced. Mr. Rothman died in April.

As the so-called “Second Lady,” she organized the spouses of state lawmakers to lobby for a new museum in the state capitol. She also spearheaded an effort to raise money to start the “Hall of Famous Missourians,” which still exists today in the Missouri Capitol…

Bones for Sale

On Bowman Realty’s website, Jefferson City watering hole Bones is for sale for $799K.  See a picture here. 

Scott Charton on Facebook writes: Bones has been a legislator-and-lobbyist hangout for many decades - lots of deals, lots of drinks, lots of liaisons of varying degrees of savory - and I can recall at least a couple of lawmaker-on-lawmaker scuffles, in which, as a statehouse philosopher put it: “One was scared and the other one was glad of it.” 

It’s literally in an alley, just a short, well-trod stagger-crawl from the Capitol Building and the Governor’s Mansion.

New Committees

Richard Orr formed a candidate committee (Richard Orr For Missouri Senate District 23) to run for Senate 23 as a Democrat.  The current incumbent is Republican Bill Eigel.

Friends of SJSD was formed.  It’s a PAC.  Its treasurer is Benjamin K Byrd.

North Missouri Leadership PAC and Ozark Gateway Leadership PAC were formed.  Amber Watson is the treasurer for both.

Lobbyists Registrations

Patrick Arnold Feeney added Patrick Feeney.

Tyler McFadden added Herban Rootz.

Molly Gill deleted Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

$5K+Contributions

American Dream PAC - $10,000 from Dealers Interested in Government.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Duane Simpson, and Sara Schuett.

July 4: Rep. Curtis Trent, Courtney Cole, Jim Moody, Ron Richard, Joe Aull, and Brian Millner.

Friday: Assessor Jake Zimmerman, Gary Dusenberg, and Chris Molendorp.

Saturday: Susan Montee, and Elizabeth Dumm.

Sunday: Eddie Roth, Ryan Hobart, Gayle Kingery, and Fred Kratky.

MOScout News

MOScout is off for the rest of the week.  Have a happy Independence Day! See you Monday…