MOScout Daily Update: Ham Breakfast On - Rebuild STL - House 8 Drama? - Cook Upgrades Schmitt - Big Checks and more...
Juneteenth Recognition
Bloomberg News reports that “Morgan Stanley, Target and Uber are among firms recognizing Juneteenth today. And Republican Senator John Cornyn will introduce a bill to make it a federal holiday.”
Meanwhile…
· The Hill reports… Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on Thursday blocked the Senate from passing a bill to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) tried to pass the bill by unanimous consent, which allows legislation to pass without a vote but also enables any one senator to block it. The measure would remove statues of individuals who voluntarily served in the Confederacy from the Capitol.
· And just a week earlier… Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)… proclaimed his opposition to the [re-naming military bases amendment], allying himself strongly with Trump on the issue. “I oppose the amendment, I voted no on it, and I spoke against it in the committee and voiced my reservations for it,” Hawley tweeted. “I just don’t think that Congress mandating that these be renamed and attempting to erase that part of our history is a way that you deal with that history.” Hawley announced on the Senate floor Thursday he would introduce legislation to stop the mandate to change the names of military institutions, which he called “historical revisionism.”
Meet Rebuild STL
In the lobbyists registrations this morning, there’s a collection of St. Louis City lobbyists and labor leaders added Rebuild Saint Louis Inc.
Rebuild is a newly formed non-profit. See the paperwork here.
One presumes it was formed to help advance the newest proposal to lease the city’s airport. A bill to put the question before city voters has been introduced at the City’s Board of Aldermen.
I would expect that there may be criticism that the creation of the non-profit will shield questions of who’s paying the lobbyists.
We’ll see….
May Unemployment Unch
Missouri’s May unemployment rate decreased a smidge from 10.2% in April to 10.1% in May. June will be the number to watch. Will the reopening of the economy have made a real dent in the number or are we in for a long slog?
Ham Breakfast is ON
The big news from yesterday’s press briefing: the state fair “Ham Breakfast” will take place after all. This big event for political hob-knobbing was initially thought to be a casualty of the coronavirus social distancing guidelines.
Cook Upgrades Schmitt
Tipster says that the Cook report has moved Eric Schmitt’s race from “Likely Republican” to “Solid Republican.”
Schmitt's position has only improved in recent months as his fundraising edge has grown. Schmitt is running for his office for the first time in 2020; he was appointed to his post after Republican Josh Hawley won a U.S. Senate seat in 2018. Previously, Schmitt served as state treasurer and as a state senator. On the Democratic side, the primary favorite is Richard Finneran, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri who's now in private practice. In the primary, he faces Elad Gross, a young attorney and political newcomer. Either Democrat would be a distinct and vastly underfunded underdog in this increasingly Republican state. We're shifting this race from Likely Republican to Safe Republican.
Meanwhile
Gross unveiled new endorsements this morning including Communication Workers of America Local 6300.
Drama in House 8
In House 8 there’s a four-way Republican primary to replace termed Rep. Jim Neely. No Democrat filed to run.
It’s a spirited race. In the field, Darlene Breckenridge is mayor of Cameron City; Randy Railsback leads the pack in fundraising with the most cash on-hand; and, as I wrote the other day, Clinton County Clerk David Woody appears to be a favorite of Young Americans for Liberty.
But Woody is also under fire – as the Citizen Observer reported last month….
Missouri state rep. candidate David Woody has a two-front fight on his hands after Clinton County Commissioners called for an investigation into Woody’s ability as county clerk.
The Office of the Missouri Attorney General will make a determination whether to take action on an affidavit to remove Woody from office as Clinton County clerk citing budget concerns dating back to August of 2018…
According to the affidavit filed April 21 by Clinton County Commissioners Clark, Larry King, Gary McCrea, Woody failed to provide a realistic estimate of revenues for the budget process. The affidavit further stated Woody failed to resolve social security payment issues dating back to 2018….
“It’s a shame that I had to go to the newspaper to see a copy of the document trying to initiate the process of removing me from office,” said Woody, who has served as county clerk since 2018. “The majority of these have been taken care of and the rest is ongoing and in the process of being taken care of. It’s unfortunate that my progress is being slowed down because of the good ol’ boy club now trying to set me up for failure, all because I won’t kiss the ring. I didn’t realize that because I don’t tie shoes a certain way, that gives means to remove me from office.”
Luetky Shakes Fist at DMV
In a tweet which a appears to have been deleted, Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer raged against the long lines at a local DMV office. If you want to see broken government, here it is—people standing in line at the DVM for hours in sweltering heat after making a “reservation.” No private-sector business is treating its customers like this. @MissouriRevenue needs to address this issue, immediately. #MoLeg
He was swiftly corrected by Scott Charton: Actually, that Parkville state license fee office is privately contracted - a private-sector operation.
Big Checks come Rolling In
· Keep Government Accountable, the pro-Galloway PAC, landed another $100K check yesterday. It was from Midwest Region Laborers. Galloway’s PAC has trailed Parson’s PAC significantly over the past year, but the continued flow of money show sustained support among her allies.
· The Herzog companies contributed $150K to Missouri Alliance For Freedom - Grace River PAC. That PAC’s related to Missouri Alliance for Freedom. Jewell Patek is registered to lobby for them, but the organization doesn’t seem to have been active much since Ryan Johnson left the group.
MOScout Spotters
· Here’s a flyer from a coffeeshop in Southwest Missouri. The pro-Kehoe PAC is hiring.
· And one reader writes definitely: “Bill Eigel is winning the sign war in St. Charles…”
New Committees
CLCP PAC was formed. Its treasurer is Kaitlin M Holloway.
Lobbyists Registrations
Jeff Aboussie, Mark Dalton, Jane Dueker, Ron Gladney, Leroy Grant, Lou Hamilton, Mike Kelley, Megan McBride, Darryl Piggee, Dave Sweeney, and Shannon Weber added Rebuild Saint Louis, Inc.
Shannon Weber added St. Louis - Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council.
$5K+ Contributions
General Motors Company PAC Missouri - Federal Committee - $35,000 from General Motors Company Political Action Committee.
Missouri Alliance For Freedom - Grace River PAC - $50,000 from Herzog Contracting Corp.
Missouri Alliance For Freedom - Grace River PAC - $50,000 from Herzog Railroad Services Inc.
Missouri Alliance For Freedom - Grace River PAC - $50,000 from Herzog Technologies Inc.
Keep Government Accountable - $100,000 from Midwest Region Laborers Political Education Fund.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Mark Dalton, Angela Bingaman, and Brian Nieves.