MOScout Daily Update: Hruza Nears $1M Self-Fund - New MO Unemployment Low - Tilley Hosts Smith Fundy - Troopers and Legal MO Ad and more...
Hruza Nears $1M Self-Fund Mark
George Hruza, running in Senate 24, wrote a check to his campaign for $450,000 yesterday. It’s the twelfth large contribution he has made to his effort so far – and the largest by far.
He’s now contributed $928,000 to his campaign. $800K of that has come in just the last month.
What It Means
We’ll probably be seeing some significant ad buys from Team Hruza for the final two weeks. But… after a certain point each extra dollar gives you only a marginal bang for your buck.
This is clearly the race to watch on Election Night.
Legal Missouri Ads
Legal Missouri, the pro-Amendment 3 campaign, released two digital ads yesterday. See them here: Too Many and Our Turn. “Too Many” focuses on the expungement aspect of A3, while “Our Turn” says A3 would let police focus on serious crime.
· But… Legal MO was dinged yesterday was the image of a state trooper in the second (Our Turn) ad. MO Highway Patrol tweeted: The Patrol is aware of Legal Missouri 2022’s advertisement featuring the Patrol. The Patrol did not give its permission for its emblem, name, or images to be used nor was permission sought.
And
· Still no evidence of money flowing into the anti-3 campaign.
Hustler in House 12
KC Star has a profile of Tom Hustler, running as a Republican in House 12. See it here. This is very competitive seat. Democrat Jamie Johnson has bested Hustler on fundraising numbers so far.
· [I]t is not hard to find people in Parkville who do not consider Hutsler, a Republican running for state representative in Missouri House District 12, a friend. That list includes property owners who’ve tangled with him in court, previous political foes who consider him a bully and several members of the Park Hill School District administration, which Hutsler is currently suing over a 2021 racial incident that ended with his 14-year-old son and three other boys being suspended for 180 days.
Toss-Up House 135
Springfield News-Leader looks at the House 135 race which Rep. Betsy Fogle won two years ago by a 79-vote margin. See it here. She faces AJ Exner, a biologist.
· Springfield's House District 135 is a modern rarity in Missouri — a true toss-up statehouse seat, liable to either stay blue or turn back red depending on how a few dozen voters are leaning this fall… Those constituents are far from a monolith, both candidates say, with lower-income neighborhoods in north Springfield and the bulk of the Missouri State University campus alike calling the 135th district home. The result is a voter base ranging widely in ideology, and an approach to representation that doesn't always fit neatly within party lines.
Tilley Hosts Smith
A week from today, Strategic Capitol Consulting is hosting Congressman Jason Smith. Smith is engaged in a hot race to be the Ways and Means Chair – assuming Republicans retake Congress. Raising money is no small part of that campaign.
MO Unemployment Hits New Low
From the latest Monthly Jobs Report: While the data is preliminary and subject to revision, the preliminary September 2022 unemployment rate of 2.4 percent is the lowest recorded seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Missouri since the data series began in 1976.
What It Means
One more indication of the labor shortage gripping the economy. Missouri has a smaller civilian workforce than it did before COVID hit.
Lack of workers is one of the top problems many businesses face, and the biggest constraint on Missouri’s economic growth.
The Piper Phenom Continued…
I’m amazed how the phenomenon of Jess Piper (running in House 1) continues to divide Democrats. Here’s are two left-leaning-ish lobbyists with two entirely different takes. I think it’s really a symptom of Democrats wandering the political wilderness here in Missouri and just not sure where their future lies.
· Serious consideration should be given to her having a prominent position in the Party statewide. She gets Dem positions back in the conversation in even the most challenging districts, and can improve the possibilities in competitive districts…
· Piper. Lol. She’s making A roadmap about how to talk to rural voters?!?! She’s gonna lose by 20-30 points. I’m sorry, but there are no moral victories in politics…
Lobbyists Registrations
Maya Rubin and Christina Walsh added Institute For Justice.
Curt Joseph Wichmer added Missouri Catholic Conference.
$5K+ Contributions
Hruza for Missouri - $450,000 from George Hruza.
Serve Missouri PAC(pro-McCreery) - $50,036 from Sheet Metal Workers Int'l Ass'n Local Union No 36 Political Action Committee.
St. Charles Realtors PAC - $32,150 from Missouri Realtors PAC, Inc.
Missouri Senate Campaign Committee - $75,000 from Rex Sinquefield.
POL PAC - $20,000 from General Motors Company PAC Missouri - Federal Committee.
Majority Forward - $10,000 from Scott Sifton for Missouri.
MO Society of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee - $10,000 from Western Anesthesiology Associates, Inc.
Citizens For Frank White Jr - $10,000 from Heavy Construction Laborers Local Union #663 PAC.
Missouri Realtors PAC Inc - $5,640 from Jennifer Langston Justus.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $40,000 from OXG LLC.
1776 PAC (pro-Schroer) - $10,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.
Truth in Campaigns (pro-Rizzo) - $10,000 from Evergy Metro Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Kevin Gunn and Ben Harris.