MOScout Daily Update: Senate Meltdown Continues - Bryant for Congress? - Super PAC Backs Hartzler - Long Whines About Hawley and more...
We’ll start with the rumor…
Rumorville: Bryant for Congress
One good source says we’re likely to see a new candidate in the Republican CD-7 race… Alex Bryant is set to announce ahead of next week’s opening for candidate filing.
Bryant (see an old bio here) runs Alex Bryant Ministries (see the website here).
Bryant is an unorthodox candidate for this race – he’s African American, he’s a minister, and he has no political experience.
However, it’s said he’ll have some money backers, including the Coryell family. And his gambit probably isn’t different from some other candidates this year: in a crowded field, you just need to find you 25% of the electorate and hope for a good split.
Stay tuned…
Senate Meltdown Continues
The Senate reconvened yesterday to yet another fruitless session. After a week of the Conservative Caucus filibustering a vote on congressional redistricting maps, leadership decided to give that rest and try regular business.
First up was Sen. Lincoln Hough’s economic development bill (SB 672). There was no second bill as it ran into a wall. After a series of amendments from the Conservative Caucus failed, Sen. Denny Hoskins announced he would prevent a vote on the bill, and began reading a book about Trump. He lost his place while reading, so started over from the beginning. After about a half-hour of that, Floor Leader Caleb Rowden threw in the towel, adjourning the Senate for the evening.
A few things to note…
· The majority used a rarely seen “motion to table” to dispense with a few of the Conservative Caucus amendments. This enraged Hoskins who threatened, “If that’s the games we’re going to play, we won’t pass any bills this session.”
· The Conservative Caucus was on the losing side of every vote.
· More and more I hear Conservative Caucus critics refer to them as the Chaos Caucus.
The Bigger Picture
There are two possible scenarios for the future of the Senate. They’re not exclusionary. Both could happen (or neither).
· First, the Senate could undergo a fundamental change in its procedure. The narrative – that a minority is holding the body hostage, and preventing any progress – will provoke a reaction. It could be rule changes, or novel uses of the current rules. When Dems began aggressive filibusters in the 2000s, Republicans dusted off the PQ. The motion to table appears to be headed in this direction. This would be bad news for Dems as it would consolidate power in the majority faction. It’d be a step toward making the Senate more House-like.
· Second, we could see a formal split between the Regular Republican Caucus and the Conservative Caucus. One lobbyist explains: Tonight might have been one of the clearest examples of why the conservative caucus and the Republicans shouldn't caucus together. The conservative caucus have their own agenda and they will pursue that agenda against the will of the other members of their supposed caucus. Democrats and Republicans vote together a lot in the Missouri general assembly but they don’t caucus together because they each have their own agendas.
US Senate Update
Hartzler grabs some momentum…
· Politico reports that “Missouri Senate candidate Vicky Hartzler is getting more backup — this time from a newly launched super PAC being steered by a prominent Republican strategist. Hartzler has received the endorsement of Secure Our Freedom Action Fund. The super PAC is overseen by Chris Cox, who directed the National Rifle Association’s political operations for nearly two decades until his departure in 2019….”
· Here's a new ad from Hartzler taking aim at trans athletes.
Meanwhile
Congressman Billy Long called Politico Tuesday morning to complain about Senator Josh Hawley’s endorsement of Hartzler. See it here.
· “I’d always considered us to be friends, I’d always supported him, I think a lot of him and his wife and his kids still,” Long said of Hawley, who he said he first met during the early 2000s. “But it’s just disappointing, it very disappointing. Why didn’t he just say, ‘Hey, you’re not raising the money, you’re down in the polls, we need to consolidate, Billy I’m probably going to endorse Hartzler here pretty soon … I just wish he’d shot straight with me.”
· “He’s trying to keep Greitens out, and I think the swamp in D.C. are consolidating behind a candidate,” Long said.
Gregory Endorses Christ
Rep. David Gregory endorsed Brad Christ for House 96. Gregory is vacating the seat to run for State Treasurer. Christ has been one of the top House fundraisers among new candidates. Last quester his report showed over $80K on-hand.
House 96 was one of the 27 “Battleground Districts” in my first look at the redistricted House map. See that report here. Having a strong candidate with the backing of the incumbent could help Republicans take this district off the table.
· From the endorsement: “Brad Christ is the perfect candidate for St. Louis County. His passion for serving others is complemented well with his core conservative values of freedom and self-determination. He will keep taxes low, support law and order, and hold government accountable. In a time where the future of our country seems uncertain, I know our district will move in the right direction with Brad as the Representative,” stated Gregory.
Treasurer Bids Out MOScholars Platform
The State Treasurer Office continues to move forward implementing ESAs. The latest move is an RFP for MOScholars Platform. See it here.
The contractor shall provide a Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (MOScholars) program virtual platform for the State Treasurer’s Office (hereinafter referred to as the state agency) to administer scholarship accounts to qualified students and their parents (hereinafter referred to as users) and for the users to access and use scholarship funds software (hereinafter referred to as the platform) in accordance with the provisions and requirements stated herein and to the sole satisfaction of the state agency.
Davidson to Ed
Speaker Rob Vescovo appointed Rep. Bishop Davidson to the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.
Lobbyists Registrations
Jeffrey Boofer added Fletcher Stovall.
Diego Echeverri added SD USA.
James Harris added Institute for Free Speech.
$5K+ Contributions
Electrical Workers Voluntary Political Education & Legislative Funds – Missouri - $6,736 from IBEW Local One.
Citizens to Elect John White - $10,000 from John and Vicki White.
Citizens for Judge Steven Ward - $25,000 from Steven Ward.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Chris Pieper.