MOScout Weekender: Hruza Adds $200K - STL County Exec Poll - Hallway on Next Session - WWTW and more...
Hruza Drops $200K into Campaign
George Hruza, the Republican candidate in Senate 24, added $200K of his own money to his campaign account. It’s a sign that he’s all-in on his race and willing to bring his personal wealth to the fight.
Hruza has been chipping in money since the beginning of his campaign. He previously has donated $178,000 through a series of checks over the past six months. With these new checks, his total contribution to the campaign is about $400,000.
His Democratic opponent, Rep. Tracy McCreery, also has done some self-funding. She contributed $100,000 to her campaign back in February.
Remington/MOScout Poll: STL County Exec
Survey conducted October 5 through October 7, 2022. 1,012 likely 2022 General Election voters participated in the survey. Survey weighted to match expected turnout demographics for the 2022 General Election. Margin of Error is +/-3% with a 95% level of confidence. Totals do not always equal 100% due to rounding. Survey conducted by Remington Research Group on behalf of Missouri Scout. See full results here.
Q1: Do you think St. Louis County is headed in the right direction or is it going off on the wrong track?
Right direction: 33%
Wrong track: 39%
Not sure: 28%
Q2: The candidates in the November 8th General Election for County Executive are: Mark Mantovani, the Republican; Sam Page, the Democrat; and Randall Holmes, the Green Party candidate. If the election were held today for whom would you vote?
Mark Mantovani: 43%
Sam Page: 48%
Randall Holmes: 1%
Undecided: 8%
Q3: The candidates in the November 8th General Election for Prosecuting Attorney are: Wesley Bell, the Democrat and Theo Brown Sr., the Libertarian. If the election were held today for whom would you vote?
Wesley Bell: 57%
Theo Brown Sr: 21%
Undecided: 22%
Q4: The candidates in the November 8th General Election for County Assessor are: Peter A. Pfeifer, the Republican; Jake Zimmerman, the Democrat; and Nick Kasoff, the Libertarian. If the election were held today for whom would you vote?
Peter A. Pfeifer: 40%
Jake Zimmerman: 50%
Nick Kasoff: 3%
Undecided: 7%
Q5: The candidates in the November 8th General Election for US Senate are: Eric Schmitt, the Republican; Trudy Busch Valentine, the Democrat ;Jonathan Dine, the Libertarian ; and Paul Venable, the Constitution Party candidate. If the election were held today for whom would you vote?
Eric Schmitt: 40%
Trudy Busch Valentine: 52%
Jonathan Dine: 1%
Paul Venable: 1%
Undecided: 6%
MOScout’s Hallway Index: On Next Session
I asked lobbyists, “What's your outlook for next session?” 18 replies
RESULTS
1. Optimistic… 33.3%
2. Pessimistic… 11.1%
3. Depends on leadership races… 27.8%
4. You never can tell how things will go… 27.8%
Sample of Comments
· The new group of legislators seem to be disinterested in the name calling and believe they have an opportunity to change the Senate tenor.
· Think it stays the same. Everyone is too caught up in narratives at this point.
· I’m optimistic I’ll make more money next session than last because the power of lobbyists continues to grow while the influence of individual lawmakers continues to be diminished.
· It’s all about the Senate leadership races.
· Lol predicting this is such a fool's errand
· No matter what next year is going to be tough for those that are actually trying to govern the state, but leadership races are going to matter a lot. Especially in the Senate. Folks underestimate Bernskoetter as a quiet and unassuming person, but that guy is a rock and anyone that has worked with him knows his word is gold.
· It really depends on whether Mike Moon wants to read Davey Crockett not. That's day to day.
Who Won the Week?
Jay Ashcroft – Benefits from two big trial attorneys checks, adding $250K to his PAC at the quarter’s deadline. Team Ashcroft feels if they can stay even with rival Mike Kehoe on money then his name ID advantage will make him unassailable.
Mike Parson – Takes a victory lap with the bill signings for his tax cut and agricultural tax credits. While the special session was nearly derailed at one point, it’s only the final score that matters, and Parson pulled out a win.
A3 – The marijuana legalization ballot question gets a big union endorsement from AFL-CIO. But also, President Joe Biden’s blanket pardon of federal marijuana possession crimes may give it a boost as Dem voters view the issue even more favorably.
Ray Wagner – It’s the end of an era. Wagner signals his exit as one of Enterprise’s top executives having led their government affairs department over the past 27 years. If only there was a forthcoming memoir of the countless political and civic dramas (and comedies) he’s seen in the past three decades…
Find a downloadable version here.
eMailbag More on AG Appt
Parson has publicly said he wants somebody with experience and who can provide stability to the office, clearly implying he wants somebody that will stay there past 2024. It makes no sense to appoint [Bailey who] is guaranteed to draw a primary. A primary he will probably lose.
$5K+ Contributions
Hruza for Missouri - $150,000 from George Hruza.
Hruza for Missouri - $50,000 from George Hruza.
Jack PAC (pro-Coatar) - $50,000 from Leadership Counts.
Serve Missouri PAC (pro-McCreery) - $25,000 from Missouri Drive Fund.
Page PAC (pro-Page) - $15,000 from Centene Management Company, LLC.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $200,000 from BD Health Ventures LLC.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $7,500 from Certified Alternative Medicine Providers LLC.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $30,000 from BeLeaf Medical LLC.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $10,000 from Shangri-La Columbia.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $20,000 from Missouri Health & Wellness LLC.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $25,000 from GRD Columbia LLC.
Missourians for a Responsible Budget - $20,000 from David Steward.
Protect Missouri Freedom – $25,000 from Missouri Drive Fund.
Protect Saint Louis Freedom - $15,000 from L.I.U.N.A Local 110 PAC Fund.
Protect Missouri Workers PAC - $25,000 from Simmons Hanly Conroy.
House Democratic Campaign Committee - $15,000 from Centene Management Company LLC.
Lathrop Gage Consulting Political Action Committee - $25,000 from LS Power Tomorrow, LLC (East Brunswick, NJ).
Building Jeffco Together - $10,000 from Thomas Industrial Coatings.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Emily Wright, and Pat Conway.
Sunday: Cody Smith, Lewis Reed, Caroline Battles, and Claire Cook-Callen.