MOScout Daily Update: Keller Signs On With Scharf - Wagner Hearts Bailey - Better Election Again in 2024? - Nittler to Invenergy - TikTok Fear and more...

Scoop: Keller Signs on with Team Scharf

Conservative political consultant Gregg Keller is joining Will Scharf’s campaign for attorney general as senior advisor.

·       Keller is veteran of many Missouri and national campaigns, most notably Josh Hawley’s win over Claire McCaskill.

·       Keller, like Scharf, has a lot of contacts with national Republican activists and donors.  He was executive director of the American Conservative Union.

·       This is one more move upping the pressure on other candidates.  Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer and others will have decide sooner, rather than later, if they’re going jump in – the money (and talent) is starting to get sucked up.

First in MOScout: Wagner Hearts Bailey

Ray Wagner, Enterprise’s senior vice president of government and public affairs, sent an email to business colleagues endorsing Andrew Bailey…

Dear St. Louis Area Business Colleagues,

I’d like to share an invite to a fundraiser this Wednesday, December 14th for our newly appointed Missouri Attorney General, Andrew Bailey.  I have known Andrew for several years and can personally attest to Governor Parson picking a perfect individual for this job.  If you do not know Andrew yet, I am confident that you will see for yourself that he will be an outstanding AG. I intend to take a very active role in his upcoming campaign and as he establishes his official service as AG. I hope you will join me in that support to educate the State of Missouri about Andrew Bailey…

Scooplette: Better Elections To Return In 2024

Better Elections, the campaign to bring ranked choice voting to Missouri, has formed a campaign committee apparently in preparation for a 2024.  See the paperwork here.

Better Elections spent $4 million earlier this year as they unsuccessfully worked to get the measure in the ballot.

Why It’s Important

·       Some conservative Republicans see the ranked choice voting process as harmful to their political prospects, and more likely to lead to the election of center or right-center candidates.

Passing MO IPs

With the talk that there may be a reproductive rights initiative petition in 2024, one MOScout reader points to the marijuana legalization campaign as a roadmap for winning passage in Missouri…

“Here’s the kind of crossover appeal you need to pass ballot initiatives in Missouri… by winning GOP strongholds.”

St. Francois County… Biden: 25%; Legalization: 51%.

Ray County… Biden: 27%; Legalization: 52%.

Johnson County… Biden: 30%; Legalization: 52%.

Jefferson County… Biden: 32%; Legalization: 55%.

Cass County… Biden: 33%; Legalization: 54%.

Buchanan County… Biden: 37%; Legalization: 51%.

Green County… Biden: 39%; Legalization: 53%.

St. Charles County… Biden: 40%; Legalization: 55%.

Clay County… Biden: 47%; Legalization: 61%.

Platte County… Biden: 48%; Legalization: 62%.

Nittler to Invenergy

Stephen Nittler, previously with Hahn O’Daniel, has joined Invenergy as Senior Associate, Transmission Public Affairs.  

·       He joins Daniel Hall, former Public Service Commissioner, who is now Invenergy’s Director of Government Affairs.

Digital Ad Disclaimers

Campaigns and Elections reports that “paid for” disclaimers are finally coming to digital ads.  Read it here.

·       The [Federal Election] Commission’s rule change on disclaimers of digital ads has been a decade in the making, and will require campaigns, when it doesn’t fill up to more than 25 percent of the space, to add a digital disclaimer to their ad creative.

GOP Guvs on TikTok Cyber-Risk

Axios reports that “Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced an executive order on Monday immediately banning TikTok on state-owned devices, citing cybersecurity risks. The popular video-sharing app is owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance… The executive order applies to all Utah executive branch agencies that use state-issued electronic devices like phones, laptops and tablets… The ban comes after a growing number of GOP states like Maryland and Texas also prohibited the app in government agencies.”

Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Parson announced several new appointments.

·       William Davis Jr. was appointed to the Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.

·       Brian Hodges was appointed as Ralls County Western District Commissioner.

·       David Hoffman and James Watkins were appointed to the Seismic Safety Commission.

·       Bradley Alan Jackson was appointed as the Christian County Eastern District Commissioner.

·       Ray Riggs was appointed as Howell County Surveyor.

·       Tracy White was appointed to the Missouri Public Entity Risk Management Board of Trustees.

Lobbyists Registrations

Nexus Group added Versaterm.

Carl Anderson deleted Show Me Integrity Education Fund.

$5K+ Contributions

Uniting Missouri PAC (pro-Parson) - $10,000 from Drury Development Corporation.

Dillenschneider for Jackson County - $7,500 from Taps.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Dan Shaul, Jennae Neustadt, Gary Fuhr, and Curt Dougherty.