MOScout Daily Update: Another Lost Day in the Senate - Bush on Defund Police - Lee for LG (2024)? Englund for Assessor? and more...

Senate Loses Another Day to Redistricting

Post-Dispatch’s Jack Suntrup does a good job capturing another day in the Senate lost to redistricting.  Read it here.

It started with Sen. Bob Onder offering amendments to the Senate Journal, preventing the map from even coming to the floor.

He then confronted Pro Tem Dave Schatz and Floor Leader Caleb Rowden about rumors of a PQ being used to shut off debate on the map at some point.  Both denied there was a plan, but refused to say it couldn’t happen at some point.  Schatz said that the “constant” quorum calls were not the actions of someone trying to help the body find a compromise.

The women senators took the floor in the afternoon, largely decrying the personal attacks and influence of personal ambition that have characterized the redistricting debate.  But their foray into the action didn’t seem to change hearts or shift the stalemate.

And

·         After yesterday’s circulating of an attack from MORinoWatch, last night there was a seemingly counter attack coming from “RightDirection.”  See it here.

·         And the lack of progress on a compromise is increasing the questioning of motives.  One lobbyist: No one should be distracted by the 7-1 map. The primary goal of Onder and Eigel is to keep St. Charles County whole so that it can be a future power base in congressional races. Their secondary goal is to label a majority of the majority caucus as RINOs so that they can defeat them in future primaries…

Bush Sticks to Defund Slogan

Axios reports…  Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) says she's not going to stop using the slogan "defund the police" ahead of this fall's midterms — even though some of her colleagues have made that request.

Why it matters: Progressives — and that slogan specifically — were blamed for Democratic losses in 2020. The 2022 midterms are even more challenging, yet Bush said during an hourlong conversation with Black reporters that she's sticking to her activist roots…

Between the lines: Progressives are always viewed by moderates as a thorn in the side of the larger party, and Democrats are already staring at a difficult election cycle.  The last thing the party needs is internal division about a slogan Republicans love to use against it.

And

Sen. Steven Roberts is said to be mulling a primary challenge to the congresswoman.  The continued use of this slogan might hurt her with some St. Louis suburbanites who may or may be in her district by the end of the redistricting process…

Lee for LG?

Rick Lee, M.D., J.D., M.B.A . is a Republican from St. Louis County, formed an exploratory committee to run for statewide office in 2024. 

One tipster reports: You can expect him to consider Lt. Governor. He has hired James Harris as his campaign consultant.

Dr. Lee lives in St. Louis and is a cardiac surgeon.  After doing his residency at Washington University, Lee was hired as the Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Division at SLU School of Medicine.  In 2008, Dr. Lee moved to Northwestern University before returning to SLU in 2012, where he become Vice Chair of Surgery. While at SLU, he attended St. Louis University School of Law.

In 2018 he became the new chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Medical College at Augusta University, where he commutes from Missouri each week. Dr. Lee has had a successful medical career where he was able to help individuals each day. He is turning towards politics where he believes he can help Missouri become a more dynamic and competitive state while defending Missourian’s freedoms from government overreach.

Englund for Assessor?

There’s a poll going around which is testing former Rep. Vicki Englund against incumbent St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman in a primary.  See it here.

Zimmerman ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General in 2016. Losing in the primary to Teresa Hensley by 5 points.

Englund ran unsuccessfully for State Treasurer in 2020, losing to Scott Fitzpatrick by over 20 points.

eMailbag on Smith for Ways & Means

On Smith has thrown his hat in the ring to be Chair of Ways & Means if the GOP retakes Congress… this is a BIG deal for Missouri if he is successful.

Yancy Williams, Horseman

Longtime statehouse figure Yancy Williams, who grew up raising horses before his tenure shaping budgets and policy as a onetime Senate Chief of Staff for then-Sen. Kurt Schaefer, is acquiring thoroughbred racehorses!  See his tweet here.

Lobbyists Registrations

Shira Berkowitz added PROMO.

Jim Foley added Capital City Area Council for Special Services.

Cassandra Allana Grewing added eBay, Inc.         

Don Stamper added Club Car Wash.

Ginger Steinmetz added Lincoln Strategy Group.

Steven Tilley and Brittany Hyatt Robbins added Rose Management Group LLC.

Cassi Baker deleted Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including Greenwich Biosciences, Inc.                                                                    

$5K+ Contributions

Missouri Senate Campaign Committee - $10,000 from Missouri Health Plan Association PAC.

Legal Missouri 2022 - $10,000 from BeSeMe Wellness LLC.

Legal Missouri 2022 - $10,000 from BeSeMe Wellness LLC.

Committee to Elect Carrie Clay - $10,000 from Carrie Clay.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. LaDonna Appelbaum, Brian Grace, and Tom Hurst.