MOScout Daily Update: Where Are Dem Auditor Candidates? - Case for Rowden - McCreery in Senate 24 and more...

Where Are the Dem Auditor Candidates?

One Dem insider offers this assessment at the lack of an obvious candidate after Galloway’s announcement…

I think there are 2.5 reasons we haven't seen an Auditor candidate immediately…

·         First, the announcement was genuinely unexpected there wasn't anyone running a shadow campaign in case Nicole decided to run again. 

·         Second, there is some thought that if Jay Nixon jumps into the US Senate race, this is a perfect spot for Scott Sifton to land. Scott's been working very hard and he and Nicole have a pretty good relationship so it would be easy for her to support him if he decided to switch.

·         The .5 reason is that it is going to be a tough year and some folks are keeping their eye on 2024, so that probably means some of the great folks on the bench (Lauren Arthur, Brian Williams, Crystal Quade) are going to wait for 2 more years before they jump into a statewide race.

CD-4: The Case for Rowden

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler’s announcement is coming this Thursday.  There’s increasing chatter about what appears to be a crowded primary shaping up for her soon-to-be-open congressional seat.

Among the potential candidates is Senate Floor Leader Caleb Rowden.  At first glance Rowden doesn’t have the political profile of a successful Republican congressional candidate in Missouri.  In short: he’s not far enough right.  In the building he’s considered a pragmatist, a deal-maker; he represents a swing (even lean Democratic) district; and he’s not without a voting record that could be used against him (Medicaid expansion, anyone?).

But there’s a case to be made for Rowden…

·         First, we’re definitely looking at a crowded field.  We could have four or five credible candidates, with another four or five lesser names on the ballot. Most, if not all, of those other candidates will be fighting for the largest bloc of GOP voters, the Trump bloc. That could leave Rowden alone pursuing, and possibly dominating, the “traditional” or “establishment” GOP electorate.

·         Second, depending how the map shapes up, he may have a similar geographic advantage. Most of the rest of the field’s bases of support could be from the western part of the district.

·         Third, having just spent massive amounts of money last year in his re-election, he presumably has some healthy residual name ID.

·         Finally, Rowden knows how to raise money, a key ingredient to a congressional campaign.

Pro-Life Polling

The governor’s office and legislative leaders are set to huddle today to map a path forward for the FRA renewal.  From last weekend’s Remington/MOScout polling…

·         Missourians favor ensuring that Medicaid funds cannot be used for abortions (56% to 32%). 

·         But if the language is broadened to also include some birth control methods that support turns to opposition (39% to 45%).

Gig Companies Hire Up

We’ll see if a state-level hiring spree follows, but Politico reports that “gig companies are expanding their DC footprint.”  See it here.

·         Shipt, a local delivery app owned by Target, hired its first Washington lobbyists last week…

·         [F] food delivery app Grubhub, which hired its first federal lobbyists at Finsbury Glover Hering (previously Glover Park Group) late last year, today announced two new additions to its government relations shop…

·         Along with those companies, delivery apps GoPuff and Instacart disclosed their first in-house lobbying teams.

·         Several app-based companies teamed up in November to form a coalition aimed at amplifying their worker classification message more broadly. A few members of the group, the App-Based Work Alliance, have snapped up lobbyists with ties to the administration…

·         DoorDash last month hired a team from Ballard Partners…

US Senate Watch

Axios reports on the expectation that the pro-Mitch McConnell PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, will “intervene” in Senate primaries.  See it here.

“In Missouri, the GOP establishment is concerned that former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned from office in 2018 after being indicted, could get a nod from Trump. It's unclear, though, if Greitens would be an obvious loser in the general election, especially in a state Trump won by 15 points.”

McCreery for Senate 24

Rep. Tracy McCreery announced she’ll be running for Senate 24.  This is Sen. Jill Schupp’s seat. Schupp is termed.  McCreery is well-liked in the building and is a good fit for the district.  She’s the favorite to win this seat – assuming it somewhat resembles it’s current form.

From the press release: “I ran for office as an independent voice for common-sense solutions to our state’s biggest challenges.  I’ve been an advocate for access to affordable healthcare, ending taxpayer giveaways to wealthy special interests, guaranteeing great schools that prepare our kids for great jobs, and creating an economy that works for all of us. As State Senator, I will invest in our schools, protect middle-class families, and improve our economy.”

Joints for Jabs

Washington is among the states offering incentives for folks to get vaccinated for COVID.  According to the New York Times, “Washington State will allow adults to claim a free marijuana joint when they receive a Covid-19 vaccination shot.  The state’s liquor and cannabis board announced on Monday that the promotion, called ‘Joints for Jabs,’ was effective immediately and would run through July 12.  The board said it would allow participating marijuana retailers to provide customers who are 21 or older with a prerolled joint when they received their first or second dose at an active vaccine clinic at the retail location. The promotion applies only to joints, not to other products like edibles.  So far in Washington, 58 percent of people have received at least one dose, and 49 percent are fully vaccinated…”

·         As of this morning, 42% of Missourians have initiated vaccination with 35.4% completed.

New Committees

Vision in Action PAC was formed.  Its treasurer is McFarlane Duncan.

Lobbyists Registrations

Doug Stone added Forest Ridge Villas, LLC.

Mike Gibbons and Tricia Workman added TKFC LC dba St. Louis CITY SC.

Deanna Hemphill deleted Missouri Soybean Association.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Tricia Workman and Stephen Webber.