MOScout Daily Update: $300K More for RightPath - Trump Touts Greitens - Hartzler Contra Big Tech - Map Day in Senate? and more...

Lew, Cash and Cayne Add $300K to RightPath

The RightPath PAC added another $300,000 to its coffers.  This comes on the heels of $2.1 million raised two weeks ago.  The PACs donors all seem to have ties to Washington University.

Wash U lobbyist Jorgan Schlemeier told the Post-Dispatch that their concerns were raised when the Senate waffled on passing the FRA tax, and debated taxing the Washington University endowment.

In this batch of donors…

·         Lew Jacobs IV - $200,000 – sits on the CitiGroup Board of Directors, and “currently serves on the board and is president of Commercial Trust Company, a family-owned community bank in Fayette, MO.”  Jacobs received his undergraduate degree from Washington University

·         Cash Nickerson - $50,000 - “is president and a principal of PDS Tech, Inc… one of the largest engineering and IT staffing firms in the United States, employing over 10,000 employees annually… Cash Nickerson holds a JD and MBA from Washington University in St. Louis where he was an editor of the law review and a recipient of the US Steel Scholarship…”

·         Howard Cayne - $50,000 – “is a partner at Arnold & Porter, where he counsels financial and other institutions on regulatory, compliance, and transactional issues… In addition to his service on the Board, Mr. Cayne is chair of Washington University’s School of Law National Council, and he is the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Law Alumni Award. He earned a Juris Doctor from Washington University…”

What It Means

This PAC looks to be a big force in this cycle’s upcoming state senate race. They’d said they won’t be making any decisions until filing closes, but it would appear that they’ll be a counterforce to any efforts to expand the Conservative Caucus.

Driving the Day: Back to the Map?

It sounds like the Senate will give the congressional map another run today.  In the recent past, senators pressing for a “7-1” map have filibustered before the legislation can even be brought up for debate.  So we’ll see how far things go, whether resistance is still as fierce or a compromise is workable…

Trump PAC Highlights Greitens Op/Ed

Donald Trump’s PAC sent an email blast linking to an op/ed that Eric Greitens wrote for Brietbart News.  The move sent shivers into the ABG (Anyone But Greitens) camp as a Trump endorsement is seen as the knockout punch in this Republican primary….

Meanwhile

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler cried foul after being locked out of Twitter.  It’s a badge of honor among conservatives to get “cancelled” by Big Tech, and honestly the free media is probably worth more than her 1,000-ish Twitter followers missing her latest pronouncement.

And

Jack Danforth is just befuddled by what’s become of the Grand Old Party.  See his interview with KSDK here. "Can you imagine saying, 'Let's go, Brandon, and God bless you?'" former Republican Senator from Missouri John Danforth asked in an interview with 5 On Your Side Monday. "Can you imagine anybody who is a candidate for the United States Senate saying that? Has anybody ever said that about the president of the United States and ending with, 'God bless you,' too?" questioned Danforth who is also an ordained Episcopal priest.  "Something is really wrong here," he said…

·         One Missouri politico mused to me: You know you could run and win as an “Independent Republican” in Missouri.  But what Danforth doesn’t realize is that at this point in the game, you’d run to the right of GOP nominee to do so, not to the center.

Sports Wagering Vote Put Off

Rep. Scott Cupps, chair of the Special Committee on Public Policy, postponed a committee vote on sports wagering legislation yesterday, signaling some changes to be introduced via a committee substitute.  It’s now noticed to be voted on Wednesday (2PM, HR1).

The Also Rans

Just a quick run-down here of a few congressional candidates who filed last week that I haven’t been following…

·         In CD-4, Jim “Soupy” Campbell will be first on the ballot.  Here’s a Post-Dispatch article by Kurt Erickson about the former NHLer.  I couldn’t find a federal campaign committee started yet.  And there’s some question whether his “celebrity” will be much of a factor in 4th Congressional District… Are there many die-hard Blues fans there?  Campbell makes this a 7-way primary to succeed Hartzler.

·         In CD-7 Camille Lombardi-Olive filed.  She ran in CD-7 in 2020 placing 5th in 5-way GOP primary; ran in CD-1 in 2018, placing 3rd in 3-way GOP primary; ran in 2016, she placed 3rd in 3-way Democratic primary again in CD-7. And Paul Walker in Springfield also filed.  I haven’t been able to find any information about him.  Also – important to note – Sen. Mike Moon hasn’t filed here yet despite making an official declaration.  Right now we’ve got a 7-way primary to replace Long.

eMailbag on Ethics Complaints

I’ve noticed a lot of dismissed ethics complaints lately. Is this a new strategy, to try to weaponize the ethics commission by filing frivolous complaints? Dems filing complaints about advocacy days, repubs filing complaints about food for constituents….. The irony of using the “ethics” commission to unethically bully political opponents is certainly lost on a big chunk of folks in JC these days.

New Candidate Filings

Ricky Joiner withdrew from running for Senate 14 as Republican.

Nancy Stevens and Holly Jones filed to run in House 88 (Eureka) as Republicans, following Rep. Dottie Bailey’s announcement she wasn’t running for re-election.

Christopher Ray filed to run in House 111 (House Springs) as a Republican, setting up a primary for the safe Republican seat.         

Randy Barr filed to run in House 122 (Rolla) as a Republican, setting up a primary for the safe Republican seat.

New Committees

You can see in the new committee formation that we’re nearing the April municipal elections where various local tax levies and bond issuances will be on the ballot…

·         Citizens for Shrewsbury's Future was formed to oppose “Prop A -property tax & Prop U-use tax.”

·         Invest in Ozark was formed to support the Ozark Transportation Sales Tax renewal

·         Vote Yes 2 a Brighter Future was formed to support bonds to build a new school in Chillicothe School District.

$5K+ Contributions

RightPath PAC - $200,000 from Lew Jacobs IV (Big Sky, MT).

RightPath PAC - $50,000 from Howard Cayne (Bethesda, MD)

RightPath PAC - $50,000 from Steven Cash Nickerson (Dallas, TX)

CLCP PAC - $10,000 from ZMDR LLC.

Friends of David Tyson Smith - $50,000 from David Tyson Smith.

Committee to Elect Brian R Steele - $18,000 from Brian Steele (running for House 139, Nixa).

Lobbyists Registrations

Jay Hahn added Microsoft.

Michael Grote deleted American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.

Malcolm Richards deleted Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Harry Gallagher.