MOScout Daily Update: MEC Says Abortion "Very, Very Top Priority" - Alexander Video - Ratliff, Bond Honored - McDowell Loses in LSL and more....
We start in Lake St. Louis this morning where Saundra McDowell, former Republican auditor nominee and gubernatorial candidate, narrowly lost her bid to join the board of the Lake St. Louis Community Association….
MEC Talks Abortion Bills
We’re about five weeks away from the start of legislators prefiling bills for the upcoming session. One topic we’ll see some action on: abortion.
Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman tweeted this article from The Lily, publication from the Washington Post for millennial women. She’s featured in it.
· Antiabortion legislators across the country see the Texas law as a major breakthrough… six-week abortion bans have passed in 12 other states, courts have raised questions about their constitutionality, blocking the laws before they could take effect. To sidestep the courts, Texas introduced a unique enforcement mechanism: Because the law empowers any private citizen to sue those who help facilitate an illegal abortion in Texas, abortion rights groups could not anticipate who would enforce the ban, preventing them from filing a successful lawsuit. When asked to stop in and block the law, the Supreme Court refused…
· As soon as Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R) joined the Missouri state legislature in January 2019, she talked to a few Republican colleagues about drafting a heartbeat bill. Soon, they were strategizing on their freshman orientation trip across the state, she said, hashing out the terms together. The six-week ban passed in May of that year, but was blocked. It’s still making its way through the courts.
· “As a lawyer, I don’t see how the Supreme Court could have ruled any other way,” said Coleman, referring to the high court’s decision to let the law stand… Coleman immediately called the legislators who worked with her on the 2019 heartbeat bill…
· They were all on board to draft a similar bill in Missouri, Coleman said. A few days later, she said, she got on the phone with Jonathan F. Mitchell, the lawyer behind S.B. 8. She plans to introduce Missouri’s version of the Texas law when their legislature reconvenes in January.
· “This is my very, very top priority,” Coleman said.
What It Means
One more traumatic event coming to next session… After we finish with redistricting, we’ll have a session filibuster over abortion to deal with. Add the fact that lots of folks are looking at higher office, and we should have a truly difficult legislative session ahead.
Only thing that could make the building more divisive would be if we threw in a new COVID variant to the mix…
Alexander Video
Dr. Sam Alexander released an announcement video. See it here. Alexander is running in CD-7 to replace Congressman Billy Long.
The video shows the demeanor of someone totally different from the field. He’s a mild-mannered fellow speaking in a soft and gentle tone. It feels totally out of place from the Trumpy bombast that most Republican candidates are mimicking.
Hi. I’m Dr. Sam Alexander. I’ve been farming since I was a young boy and an emergency room physician for decades. And I have never seen yelling and fighting make crops grow faster or our bodies heal quicker. But that’s all our leaders seem to know how to do…
Top MO Schools
US News and World Report, known for their college rankings, has published their list of top elementary schools. Here’s the Missouri top ten. Note: Axiom’s Aaron Baker is a school board member in Atlanta Missouri (#10)
1- Mallincrodt A.B.I. Elementary: SLPS (PK-5)
2- Kennard/Classical Jr. Academy: SLPS (K-5)
3- Richland Elementary: Richland R-1 (PK-6)
4. Helena Elementary: Savannah R-II (K-5)
5- McKelvey Elementary: Parkway C-2 (K-5)
6- Voy Spears Jr. Elementary: Blue Springs R-IV (K-5)
7- Festus Elementary: Festus R-VI (K-3)
8- Eugene Field Elementary: Poplar Bluff R-I (1-3)
9- Oak Grove Elementary: Poplar Bluff R-I (1-3)
10- Atlanta Elementary: Atlanta C-3 (K-6)
The methodology for the brand-new rankings focuses on two areas: math and reading proficiency, or how well students perform on state assessments, and math and reading performance, or how well they perform compared to expectations. The state assessment data came from the 2018-2019 school year.
AAPC’s 40 under 40
Titus Bond (Remington Research) and Jonathan Ratliff (Palm Strategic Group) were among those honored as “40 under 40” by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC).
The AAPC is dedicated to fostering the next generation of political professionals and is proud to recognize leaders and innovators in the political business community (including media, advertising, polling and public affairs) who are making a mark in their organization and their profession.
Finally
Maryville (in Nodaway County) gets a shout-out in the New York Times “tiny love stories.” See it here.
I place a finger on the globe to show my daughter where I grew up. My finger covers most of Missouri, including my hometown, Maryville, which of course isn’t marked. Maryville is in the center of the country, slightly to the left, like the heart in my body. People ask “Where are you from?” to learn where others began their story. Maryville is modest but has taught me to be authentic. (There are few secrets or pretenses in a small town.) My daughter’s hometown is Los Angeles, but Maryville exists within her, because it exists within me. — Shanda Connolly
Lobbyists Registrations
Jennifer Kuper added Hikma Specialty USA Inc. c/o Velocity BioGroup.
$5K+ Contributions
NEMO Leadership PAC (pro-Cindy O’Laughlin) - $5,001 from Missouri Soybean Association.
JB PAC (pro-Justin Brown) - $5,001 from Missouri Soybean Association.
Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee - $10,000 from G & S Construction and Farms, Inc.
Living Well PAC - $15,000 from Walgreen Co.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Kevin Gunn, and Ben Harris.