MOScout Daily Update: Greitens Accused of Domestic Abuse - Hummel Passes on Senate 4 - Ellebracht Files and more...
Exclusive: Hummel Passes on Senate 4
Former Sen. Jake Hummel will not challenge Sen. Karla May in Senate 4. Rather, in a statement on his decision, he appeared to endorse the incumbent.
Hummel statement: I appreciate the calls and encouragement, but I will not be a State Senate candidate in 2022. I have always believed that as long as a Democratic incumbent is a friend of labor, they need their fellow Democrats as supporters, not challengers. I look forward to electing more pro-labor Democrats in 2022 to help Missouri Build Back Better and to fight back against Republican attacks on working families.
Given the change in the district, I do expect May to draw a Democratic primary opponent. Other names mentioned: Reps. Donna Baringer, Steve Butz, and Peter Merideth.
· The filing deadline is one week from today.
Greitens Ex-Wife Alleges Abuse
News broke yesterday that Eric Greitens’ ex-wife, in a court filing related to a custody battle over their children, recounted his abusive behavior. Read Sheena Greitens’ affidavit here.
The story was reported nationally…
· AP: Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, now a leading Republican Senate candidate, was physically abusive and demonstrated such “unstable and coercive behavior” that steps were taken to limit his access to firearms…
· NYTimes: The former wife of Eric Greitens, a leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Missouri, has accused him of physically abusing her and one of their sons in a sworn affidavit that could have serious implications in the race for the seat of Senator Roy Blunt…
· Wall Street Journal: The ex-wife of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens alleges in a court filing under oath that he physically abused her and their children before their divorce, knocking her down, striking one of their sons across the face and yanking the boy around by his hair.
· Politico: New allegations against Eric Greitens are uniting Republicans of all stripes around the fear that he will cost the party dearly this fall if he’s the GOP nominee in Missouri, a must-win race in the party’s fight for control of the Senate.
Greitens went on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” to say that it was all lies conjured up by political operatives working with his ex-wife to protect Mitch McConnell.
And in the polarized atmosphere with siloed new feeds and distrust of professional news sources, it seems possible that this doesn’t seriously erode the 25%-ish base of Republican primary voters who support him.
I think it will, but in talking with folks I feel like I’m in the minority opinion. Across party lines folks were cynical about whether scandals matter anymore.
We’ll see…
Normal Day in the Senate
It’s news when there’s an uneventful day in the rift-ridden Missouri Senate. But it happened yesterday as the upper chamber returned from Spring Break. They passed several non-controversial bills before getting stuck along tradition party lines on Sen. Mike Bernskoetter’s proposal to tie the duration of unemployment benefits to the state’s unemployment rate.
Isom Outlines Walker’s Death
From the Missouri Independent: There is no evidence of foul play in the death of former state lawmaker and St. Louis County official Cora Faith Walker, and there is no continuing investigation, St. Louis Director of Public Safety Daniel Isom said Monday… Isom, speaking to reporters via zoom, laid out a timeline for the death and said much of what is known comes from video obtained from the Live by Loews hotel in downtown St. Louis.
Those videos, viewed under a warrant, show Walker came out of a hotel room shortly before 9 a.m. on March 11 and collapsed. She was found by a person who called 911 and tried to revive her, Isom said…
She was not known to have long-term health problems, Isom said Monday, and there were no injuries that would account for her demise.
“Chief Hayden and I agree that a 37-year-old’s sudden death is unusual,” Isom said, referring to St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden…
Williams vs Williams
Marilyn Goode-Williams filed to run in Senate 14 as a Republican. She’ll face Democrat Sen. Brian Williams. While there’s the potential for ballot name confusion, that’s not enough to help Marilyn in this solid Democratic district.
Ellebracht Files in House 17
Rep. Mark Ellebracht filed to run in House 17. He had been drawn into the new House 38 district. But 17 will be an easier path to re-election. It’s a lean Democratic district while 38 is a lean Republican district. Additionally, Eben Hall is considered a strong Republican recruit in House 38. He’s the husband of Kansas City Councilwoman Heather Hall.
Other Filing News
Jim Wentworth filed to run in House 34 (Lee’s Summit) as a Republican. This is a swing district.
Jeff Myers filed to run in House 42 (Warren County) as a Republican. This is a safe Republican
New Committees
Ayanna Shivers formed a candidate committee (Neighbors for Shivers) to run for Senate 18 as a Democrat. Shivers hasn’t filed for the office yet, but this committee formation indicates that Republican Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin will probably have a Democratic opponent. Shivers’ treasurer is former Sen. Wes Shoemyer. Shivers, the first Black female mayor of Mexico, ran against Sen. Jeanie Riddle in 2018, losing by 40 points. Senate 18 is a safe Republican district.
$5K+ Contributions
Committee to Elect Aaron McMullen - $5,005 from Aaron McMullen.
Committee for Liberty (Pro-Ashcroft) - $25,000 from Samuel Coryell.
Legal Missouri 2022 - $300,000 from New Approach Advocacy Fund.
Lobbyists Registrations
Tony Dugger, Andrew Foley, James Foley, and Chris Liese added Americans for Fair Energy Prices.
Jeff Smith added The Basketball Movement.
Catalyst added Lexia Learning Systems.
Tom Dempsey deleted SA Hospital Acquisitions Group LLC.
Sarah Wood Martin deleted Vantage Airport Group.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Bill Hardwick, Nancy Giddens, David Jackson, Will Kraus, Paul LeVota, and Sylvester Brown Jr.