MOScout Daily Update: Hruza Hits McCreery on Absences - Chinn for Treasurer? - Plocher Agenda - Rural MO Powers GOP Vote - Abortion IP in 2024? and more...

New Hruza Ad

George Hruza’s new ads take aim at Rep. Tracy McCreery as ineffective.  See the TV ad here.

Career politician Tracy McCreery talks big but in nearly a decade McCreery’s failed to pass a single bill she offered. Not one.  McCreery failed to even show up for work 286 times.  Fails to get things done.  Doesn’t show up.  That’s the do-nothing McCreery record.

We need a state senator who has a record of getting good things done. That’s George Hruza. George Hruza will get good things done for safer neighborhoods, stronger schools, and higher paying jobs.

·       And here’s the supporting radio ad hitting the same points.

And

In the large contributions (below), Hruza added another $100K into his campaign. That brings his personal contribution to nearly $500,000.

Chinn for Treasurer?

I did segment on Elijah Haahr’s radio show yesterday.  When we were talking about possible replacements for Scott Fitzpatrick (assuming he wins the auditor’s race), Haahr threw out a new name in the mix… Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn.  He also mentioned the other names that have been among the chatter: Sens. Sandy Crawford and Holly Rehder, and Kalena Bruce.

Eigel and the Rural Vote

Following yesterday’s mentioned that Sen. Bill Eigel might have trouble winning over rural Missouri, one reader wondered how important the rural vote is in a Missouri Republican race.  “Does Vicky Hartzler doing so poorly say anything about the changing relevance of rural votes even in a GOP primary compared to suburban density?”

Here are some numbers from the recent primary. 

·       The four population center counties (St. Louis County (64,817), St. Charles County (45,263), Jackson County (34,586), and Greene County (33,493)) provided 27% of Republican ballots in the US Senate primary.

·       Add in six more counties (Boone, Cass, Clay, Franklin, Jasper, and Jefferson) and the share of Republican ballots cast goes up to 42%.

·       But the other 104 counties provide the majority, the remaining 58% of the ballots.

More on The Plocher Agenda

I wrote yesterday that public safety was going to be one of Speaker Dean Plocher’s top priorities in the upcoming session.  Also on Plocher’s radar…

·       Economic development.

·       Reining in healthcare costs.

·       Tracking and transparency of the federal money being spent in the state.

Hatfield Laments Schmitt’s AG Shenanigans

SuperLawyer Chuck Hatfield laments that the political shenanigans of the attorney general’s office will undermine its real and serious purpose.  Read the article here.

·       “It is very clear to me that the attorney general is trying to use his office to advance his specific political agenda. And it’s not proper,” Hatfield said…

·       “Doing stuff like this, I think, jeopardizes the credibility of the office,” Hatfield said, “and makes it harder for the attorney general to be taken seriously when they’re enforcing the real responsibilities: protecting consumers, defending the states from lawsuits, prosecuting environmental violations, those sorts of things.”

Abortion IP in 2024?

Washington Post reports that “abortion rights advocates are exploring ballot measures to enshrine access to the procedure into state constitutions in 2024, including in a handful of Republican-led states with restrictions on the books.”  Missouri gets mentioned.  Read it here.

·       The effort represents an emerging strategy for the abortion rights movement and a growing belief that public opinion is on their side…

·       In early August, roughly 59 percent of voters in Kansas defeated an attempt to strip abortion protections from the state constitution — a margin of victory that shocked both sides of the debate. The campaign opposing the measure used messaging it believed could appeal to voters across the political spectrum such as focusing on the freedom of Americans to make their own health-care decisions without government interference, a message Republicans typically use to promote their own health agenda. The vote in the conservative state where President Donald Trump won by 56 percent shows “we can do this,” Corrine Rivera Fowler…

·       “We know that the majority of Missourians support access to abortion without political interference, and we have a strong coalition of organizations on the ground who are committed to protecting these basic rights,” said Mallory Schwarz, the executive director of Pro-Choice Missouri. “Right now, everything is on the table.”

What It Means

Talk of an abortion rights initiative petition will likely add urgency to the effort by Republican legislators to “reform” the IP process.  By reform, they mean to make it harder to place measures on the ballot.

More on Bush Tour Impact

One Dem rep scoffs that Congresswoman Cori Bush’s “Roe Tour” will do any damage to Dem candidates in the state… Most Missourians can barely name their senators. I’m an elected official and don’t know jack about most of the other congresspeople in the state. She’s higher profile, but I’m gonna venture to bet most Missourians don’t actually know who she is either.

And in fact the Remington/MOScout poll I referenced yesterday does show her net negative (-15%) wasn’t as bad as President Joe Biden’s (-19%) on account of a much higher “no opinion.”

Q1: What is your opinion of Cori Bush?

Favorable: 20%

Unfavorable: 35%

No opinion: 45%

For comparison, in the same poll…

Q4: What is your opinion of Joe Biden?

Favorable: 37%

Unfavorable: 56%

No opinion: 7%

Email on Cards Coatar Contribution

Two ways to spin [the Cardinals donations]. One is businesses see him as the candidate to address crime. The other is he’s the candidate most favorable to tax credits and subsidized sports teams, of which they are a pretty hefty financial beneficiary. There’s perfectly legit reasons to support Jack over Megan, but which reason you think is more motivating for a private corporation to donate money to a campaign – generalized safety concerns with undefined policy solutions or clear cut bottom line return on investment?

eMailbag on Let’s Go MO

So the purpose of this site is to sign up and encourage Eigel to run for Governor…but it’s paid for by Eigel…

Lobbyists Registrations

Lisa Foehner Boudreau added iCivics/CivXNow.

Tyler Scott McClay added Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

$5K+ Contributions

Hruza for Missouri - $100,000 from George Hruza.

Jack PAC - $20,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council MO-KS Area PAC.

Missouri Senate Campaign Committee - $25,000 from Burns & McDonnell.

Jackson County 4 Kids - $10,000 from Hillcrest Ministries of Mid America.

Protect Missouri Freedom - $25,000 from Safer Families For Missouri.

The Madison PAC - $30,000 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield Kansas City.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters Missouri PAC - Federal Committee - $46,135 from IBT Missouri PAC - Federal Committee.

Together KC - $25,000 from The Civic Council of Greater Kansas City.

Legal Missouri 2022 - $10,000 from Fresh Green LLC.

Legal Missouri 2022 - $30,000 from Heya Missouri Holdings Inc.

Legal Missouri 2022 - $50,000 from Focus Partners Manchester LLC.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Reps. Jason Chipman and Rick Francis, Jeff Mazur, Alexandria Cypert, Ken Menges, Charles Schlottach, and Mavis Busiek.