MOScout Daily Update: Smith Chases Trump Endorsement - Giving Up on Vax? - Anti-Referendum Group Forms - Moody Sees Tax Cut and more...
Smith Chases Trump Endorsement
Post-Dispatch reports on Congressman Jason Smith traveling to New York City as he chases the coveted Trump endorsement to succeed Sen. Roy Blunt. Read it here.
· One Missouri congressman considering a run for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat met Monday with former President Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to his campaign.
· Josh Siegel, spokesman for the campaign of U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, told the Post-Dispatch on Monday that Smith met with the former president at Trump Tower that afternoon.
· Smith tweeted about the meeting after 7 p.m. Monday. "Great visit with President Trump again today at Trump Tower in NYC," he said. "We discussed what’s needed to protect Missourians and our great state. The President loves the people of Missouri!"
What It Means
Nothing new here. President Donald Trump’s endorsement is considered the easiest route to becoming a US Senator. Congressmen Smith and Billy Long appear to be making focusing their potential candidacies on this single event.
I’m not a Trumpologist, but one flaw in this strategy seems to be that Trump without Twitter is a different creature. The impulsive thought to sudden announcement pipeline is gone. Without Twitter, there might be a slower, more deliberate process for things like endorsements. That means you can’t just meet with him or make a “good showing” on Fox, and fifteen minutes later come away with the endorsement.
Group Forms to Defend Gas Tax
Committee to Protect the Road to Missouri's Future was formed. It’s a campaign committee to oppose the referendum to undo the legislature’s passage of the gas tax increase.
Jeremy Cady with Americans for Prosperity Missouri filed the referendum paperwork with the secretary of state’s office.
However, I haven’t seen any active campaign yet from AFP to collect the thousands of signatures necessary to place the measure before Missouri voters.
It would appear, with the formation of this new committee, that those in favor of the new tax aren’t taking any chances of being caught flat-footed.
The committee treasurer is Dave Griggs, former Boone County Commissioner.
Moody See Tax Cut Trigger
Budget watcher Jim Moody (See The Moody Report here) says surging state revenues mean we’re on the cusp of triggering another tax cut in Missouri.
The trigger for the third tax cut under Senate bill 509 is $9.717 billion. Collections through May 21, 2021 are up by $9.694 billion, or just short of the SB 509 trigger amount, with well over a month of collections still to come. The tax cut trigger should be hit in the next few days...
· Some observers have fretted that the tax cuts will erode Missouri’s state revenues over time. We’ll see…
Are We Done With Vaccinations?
Missouri’s collective civic will to vaccinate the remaining population appears to be waning. According to the state dashboard the 7-Day average of doses administered peaked mid-April at roughly 55,000 doses a day. Since then, the trend has been consistently downward. On May 23, the 7-Day average was 15,736. And the last several days have all been below that average indicating that the trend remains in place.
With daily COVID deaths in the single digits now, the urgency seems to have wanes. Hospitalizations have moderated, but there’s still about 650 beds being occupied statewide by COVID patients.
· 43.2% of Missourians over 18 are now fully vaccinated. Will we manage to make it to 50%? I’d guess so, but I think 60% is unlikely without a renewed push.
Parson Picks Ransom
Press release: Governor Mike Parson has appointed the Honorable Robin Ransom as the next Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri. She will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Laura Denvir Stith in early March.
The appointment is historic as Ransom will be the first African American woman on Missouri’s high court. MOIndy noted: The selection increases diversity on the high court by making Ransom the second Black judge on the seven member court, along with Chief Justice George Draper III… Prior to 1988, the Missouri Supreme Court had only white male judges. The first woman to be appointed to the court was Ann Covington, appointed by Gov. John Ashcroft.
eMailbag on Richardson
Expecting Richardson to put his finger on the scale to get Medex is a stretch. He killed it year after year and thought it was bad policy his entire tenure in the legislature.
Lobbyists Registrations
George Oestreich added Logan & Seiler, Inc.
Dusty Schnieders added University of Missouri – Columbia, Missouri University of Science & Technology, University of Missouri Extension, University of Missouri Healthcare, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Jason Hall, Ed Emery, Tim Jones (the big 5-0), Amy Blouin, and Gus Wagner.