MOScout Daily Update: Smith Sounds Like a Candidate - Greitens' Endorsements - Torch $$$ - Special Session Watch and more...
Smith Sounds Like a Candidate
The primary is over a year away. Filing doesn’t open for six months. So there will be false floats, head fakes and wild curves ahead. But as we try to conjure what the final shape of this US Senate field will look like… Congressman Jason Smith certainly sounds like a candidate for US Senate.
Check out this clip from Fox Business.
Smith: I did speak to [Donald Trump] about the Missouri Senate race and all the people that’s looking at it. And I will put my conservative record and my record for fighting for working class families, farmers and small businesses up against anyone. And I’ll also put my record of standing up for the America First agenda and supporting President Trump and not running away when things got tough – among any of the other candidates that’s looking at it.
Q: Did he indicate to you that he would support you?... Where did you guys leave it?
I bet you would love for me to say that… What I will say is that the president’s going to be, President Trump will be very involved in the Missouri senate race and will make sure his person crosses the finish line.
Q: If it’s not you and someone, how would you feel about that if he endorsed someone else?
I have no doubt that he is going to be with the right person…
Meanwhile
Here’s the latest Greitens endorsement list (from his latest email blast) which shows how heavily he’s been wooing the eclectic and exotic cast from the Trump show. Assuming he can raise the money, one would expect commercials to highlight these folks and – without an actual Trump endorsement to the contrary – he might be able to plaster together the façade of a Trumpish imprimatur.
Since announcing his campaign, Governor Greitens has received widespread support from President Trump’s strongest fighters:
Kimberly Guilfoyle, former National Chair of Trump Victory Finance Committee
Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor
Ryan Zinke, former Secretary of the Interior
Bernie Kerik, former NYPD Commissioner
Dr. Sebastian Gorka, former Deputy Assistant to President Trump
Ann Dorn, widow of St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn
Steve Cortes, Trump Campaign Senior Advisor
Jessie Jane Duff, Women for Trump Advisory Board Member
Victoria Toesning & Joe DiGenova, former Attorneys to President Trump
Pastor Darrell Scott, Trump National Diversity Coalition Member
Bruce LeVell, Trump National Diversity Coalition Executive Director
Dennis Prager, PragerU Founder
Torch Sends $200K to Committees
In the last few days, Torch Electronics LLC has sent approximately $200,000 to committees with ties to lobbyist Steven Tilley. Tilley is part of the team that lobbies for Torch.
(Torch mistakenly reported a contribution of over $3 million. I’m told it was a typo data-entry error so I’ve deleted it from the listing at the bottom of the page. As a serial typo-ist, I understand).
Torch owns many of the so-called “gray” gaming machines in Missouri. There have been efforts to rein in these machines which some legislators feel are in violation of the current gaming regulations.
Those efforts have been stymied so far so far, but it’s likely they’ll return next session.
And
Also, in the large contributions today, the Committee to Protect the Road to Missouri's Future received its first big checks: $15K from Missouri AFL-CIO, and $15K from Consulting Engineers Council of MO PAC.
This is the committee set up to defend the gas tax which passed the legislature last session. Americans for Prosperity have filed paperwork with the secretary of state’s office to initiate a referendum on the issue. However, I have yet to see a committee or any resources allotted to gathering the signatures.
MDP to Release “Missouri Playbook”
Press release: As a state party, we are excited for the potential of the 2022 and 2024 election cycles in Missouri. We welcome the passion not only from staff, but countless community members. The determination exists for the Missouri Democratic Party to thrive in our state and together we can make that happen. That being said, we know we have work to do.
We are taking the unusual step today of releasing a statement from our staff directly to the community. We hear and see your voices and hope to engage you as we rebuild. There has been disappointment about the recent announcement of a signage campaign the Party is starting, requesting input on where to set-up messaging across our state. We assure you; this is only one prong of our 2021/22 and beyond approach.
· We hear your calls and are already preparing for deep canvassing and authentic relationship building throughout Missouri. MDP has created a new Missouri Playbook that we will roll-out in the next few weeks. Below we outline some of the strategies included:
· We are applying for a grant from the DNC to open regional offices across the state, including in our rural counties. The goal is ten offices, and the DNC grant will help fund creation and staffing. Currently, we have staff in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.
· We are fostering relationships with new media outlets, newsletters and rural communications like radio. We are also developing a project to create an MDP podcast focused on rural issues and doing more to support our important Rural Caucus.
· We are visiting counties across the state already and are excited to get back to successfully and safely canvassing after COVID-19.
· We will bolster our existing volunteer programs by providing additional training and resources, but also build new volunteer recruitment and training procedures utilized in other parts of the country.
· We are actively working to recruit candidates who truly understand the needs of Missourians for races up and down the ballot. We are focusing ourselves on serving those candidates in the best way we can.
· We have hired new staff with diverse skills and experience with successful Democratic caucuses, campaigns and state parties. This will help us pivot in a different direction in canvassing, messaging, and fundraising. They came on staff May 31st.
As mentioned above, our new Missouri Playbook will include more details on our next steps and outlines our path forward with our base and new voters. We will release our plan in the following weeks.
We welcome further outreach and are happy to share more information if desired. This energy is just what Missouri needs, we just need to be in it together.
Special Session Watch
Missourinet reports on the outlook for special sessions. Read it here.
· Missouri’s governor says the only special session he plans to call this year at this point involves congressional redistricting, which is required because of the new U.S. Census data.
· “The legislators have not even been out two to three weeks and we’ve already got 13 requests, which is not even practical to think that you’re going to be able to do that on taxpayer dollars. Most of the items we’re talking about have already (been) discussed in the legislative session, just didn’t get across the finish line,” Parson says.
· Governor Parson says daily negotiations continue on the federal reimbursement allowance (FRA) issue. FRA is a key funding mechanism for Missouri Medicaid, and the Senate failed to approve an extension this year because of a legislative dispute over abortion… “You know if there’s not some sort of agreement with a solution, you know and it doesn’t happen before July 1, there’s not going to be any choices, we’re going to have to start withholding (on) July 1,” Parson says.
· July 1 is the start of the next fiscal year. The governor reiterates that he will not call a special session on FRA, unless legislative leaders present a plan to him that will pass.
$5K+ Contributions
Missouri Senior PAC - $13,000 from Warrenton Oil Company.
Missouri C PAC - $13,000 from Warrenton Oil Company
Missouri Growth PAC - $13,000 from Warrenton Oil Company.
MO Majority PAC LLC - $13,000 from Warrenton Oil Company.
MO Majority PAC LLC - $13,000 from Warrenton Oil Company.
Missouri AG PAC - $13,000 from Warrenton Oil Company.
Conservative Leaders of Missouri - $13,000 from Warrenton Oil Company.
Missouri Senior PAC - $33,333 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Missouri C PAC – $33,333 from Torch Electronic Enterprises, LLC.
Missouri Growth PAC - $33,333 from Torch Electronics LLC.
MO Majority PAC LLC - $33,333 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Missouri AG PAC - $33,333 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Conservative Leaders of Missouri - $33,333 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Conservative Leaders of Missouri - $33,333 from Torch Electronics LLC.
Missouri AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education - $5,556 from Missouri AFL-CIO.
314 Forward - $10,000 from Ullico Management Company.
314 Forward - $17,400 from Laborers' International Union of N.A. Local No. 42 PAC Fund.
314 Forward - $17,400 from L.I.U.N.A. Local 110 PAC Fund.
Midwest Region Laborers' Political League Education Fund - $7,599 from Laborers Supplemental Dues Fund.
Nexus PAC - $10,000 from Nexus Group.
Committee to Protect the Road to Missouri's Future - $15,000 from Missouri AFL-CIO.
Committee to Protect the Road to Missouri's Future - $15,000 from Consulting Engineers Council of MO PAC.
Lobbyists Registrations
Thomas Dempsey and Dave Berry added i3 Broadband.