MOScout Daily Update: Neely for Gov - Haffner Out of Senate 31 - LA Enters Senate 19 - Krewson for Local Control and more...

Neely for Gov

Out of nowhere, Rep. Jim Neely announced yesterday that he’ll primary Governor Mike Parson.  See the Post-Dispatch article here. [Neely] said his upstart candidacy was not aimed at anything Parson has done since taking over as the state’s chief executive in June 2018. Rather, since he is term limited after eight years in the House, Neely said he wants to continue his goal of helping people. “I still have some energy,” said Neely, 68.

“Doc Neely” is best known in the legislature for his support of hospitals (he works for [Cameron Regional Medical Center]) and for his opposition to managed care. He had a skeleton outside of his office for several years saying that it had been a managed care patient!

What It Means

This doesn’t count as a credible primary challenger to Parson. Neely has no statewide name ID, no money, no staff or infrastructure and no real fundraising capacity.

Liberty Alliance Hits Skelton

Liberty Alliance, the new Republican organization which debuted at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast, is making an initial foray into Senate 19.  They’ve put out a recording on Facebook of Democratic candidate Michela Shelton talking about making Columbia a “sanctuary city.”  See it here.  While Republican might normally cheer such a move, it’ll be interesting to see reaction to this because…

·         I’ve picked up a fair amount of skepticism about the new group from within the GOP.

·         Some think it’s an effort to supplant the state party; others that it’s a staging organization for a Greitens comeback.

·         One conservative legislator texted me: Who is the Liberty Alliance?  They haven't reached out to anyone that's actually a conservative in the House or Senate that we know of.  Oh and it certainly looks a lot like a Greitens/Graves/Lager idea—it’s got the word "conservative" all over it with lots of slick graphics but not a single policy position…

·         And Post-Dispatch has raised questions about who’s funding it, and whether they’re complying with disclosure laws.

Haffner Out of Senate 31

Tipster… [Rep. Jack] Bondon just got a nice boost in his bid to replace Emery in the Senate — Mike Haffner has said he is not running for the seat.  With Bondon’s adept fundraising and the fact that he’s already hitting tons of local events in every corner of the Senate district, he seems to be very well positioned in the primary (and may even avoid one)…

Krewson Calls for Local Control on Guns

Post Dispatch reports that “Mayor Lyda Krewson said Wednesday she wants Missouri lawmakers to change a 2017 state law that lets almost anyone carry a gun without restrictions, and allow the city of St. Louis to require concealed weapon permits… Krewson noted that Missourians are required to have a license to drive a car and the vehicle must be registered with the state. And though St. Louis police have managed to take nearly 1,700 guns off the street in the last year, she said that’s ‘not enough.’ Missouri law allowing guns without permits ‘hinders our police department in a very significant way.’  The Missouri Legislature, dominated by rural and suburban lawmakers, has spent years loosening the state’s gun laws. In 2017, the Legislature passed legislation to allow non-felons to carry concealed weapons without a permit… Krewson said she has spoken to Parson, a former county sheriff, about the issue…”

eMailbag on Parson and Guns

In today's polarized environment, a Nixon-to-China moment is likely political suicide in either party but especially in the GOP.  In Parson's case, even the remote possibility of a base-pandering challenge by Greitens will keep him a long way from China until after 2020.

LG Kick-off Coming

Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe says he’ll make a “major campaign announcement” on September 23.  Presumably it’s that he’s running for re-election.  It’s a respectful two weeks after his boss’ planned announcement on September 8.

And

Still no names for a Dem LG candidate….

New Committees

Rasheen Aldridge formed a candidate committee (Citizens For Rasheen Aldridge) to run in House 78 as a Democrat in the upcoming special election.

$5K+ Contributions

Keep Government Accountable - $7,500 from Thompson Coburn LLP.

Bold PAC - $10,000 from Viceroy PAC.

Bold PAC - $7,400 from Drury Development Corporation.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Robin Smith.

MOScout Schedule

Coming up… no weekend edition and no update on Monday (Labor Day).  I do half-expect a news dump tomorrow ahead of the long weekend.  So it is possible there’ll be a special update depending on what drops.