MOScout Daily Update: Carter Drops $500K into Senate 10 - Smith's Big Quarter - New Senate Schedule - Boyd Gets Help From Guernsey and more...
Carter Drops $500K Into Senate 10
Judge Mike Carter dropped a bomb into the Republican Senate 10 primary yesterday. He formed his candidate committee and wrote a $500,000 check.
He’ll be leading the cash on-hand in that primary when we see April reports next week. This makes Bryan Spencer’s earlier ante of $100,000 look like chump change.
The recent MOScout/Remington poll had Carter third out of six candidate in poll. This early in the race the poll only captures name ID, but that’s a comfortable spot for someone with $500K in the bank.
Smith’s Big Quarter
Congressman Jason Smith announced that he raised a combined $1.5 million in the first quarter. In this quarter, Smith shattered his previous best for support for the NRCC and had his second-strongest quarter ever. This indicates that Smith’s getting good receptivity from donors about the possibility he could land the Ways and Means chairmanship.
Brag sheet…
· Over $1.5 million raised for Jason Smith for Congress, leadership PAC, and directly for the House Republican Conference.
· Campaign had its 2nd-strongest quarter since coming to Congress
· Currently ranks in the top 10 for fundraising for House Republicans, the most of any member in Missouri
· For the 2021-22 cycle, raised over $1 million for House Republicans – the most Smith has cumulatively raised for House Republicans in a cycle ever
· Raised $500,000 of that amount in the last two weeks of the quarter
Why It Matters: Smith would be the first Ways and Means Chairman from Missouri in the state’s history and the youngest Ways and Means Chairman since 1860. The oldest committee in Congress is responsible for setting all federal tax policy, one of the few powers in the Legislative Branch that is specifically enshrined in the Constitution. The committee is also responsible for all trade policy, as well as overseeing Social Security, Medicare, welfare and unemployment programs.
Senate Tries To Find Footing
This week the Senate moved to a new schedule. They’re pushing back their start time to 11AM, cramming the committees in beforehand. But then the 11AM start gives them uninterrupted floor time for the rest of the day.
There’s a usual shift as we enter the final stretch of session away from committees and toward the floor. (Four weeks remaining after today). One lobbyist like the change: “This new schedule has the potential to significantly increase floor time in the senate… If they can consistently go in at 11 or really 1230 or something on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that would really move things. Potentially. There is some optimism, but still highly skeptical.”
Still, as yesterday’s session showed though, it’s hard to accelerate the Senate.
Sen. Mike Bernskoetter’s bill to give state employees the option of being paid twice a month instead of once a month was waylaid by amendments from the right (Eigel and Onder anti-COVID mandates) and the left (Razer anti-discrimination). Hours later, he withdrew the underlying language and offered a new substitute with a much tighter language and title to prevent amendments.
Primary Moves in the House
One building denizen wondered if “Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman will regret missing/skipping the vote on Rep Chuck Bayse’s amendment to protect female sports from male tran students… It is an important issue with Missouri Republican voters.”
Bayse offered the amendment to prohibit a “public school shall knowingly allow a student of the male sex who is enrolled in such public school to participate on a school-sponsored athletic team that is exclusively for students of the female sex.” Coleman’s two primary opponents – Reps. Shane Roden and Dan Shaul – both voted in favor. She was absent from the vote.
The eyeballing each other over the coming primaries is everywhere…
A few weeks ago when the House was debating the redistricting map, Rep. Nick Schroer inquired of his Senate 2 rival, Rep. John Wiemann. As the two tangled on the floor a lobbyist texted, “This. Is. Amazing.” I replied that I thought Wiemann was holding his own in the exchange.
· The answer: “Yes. But Nick is getting what he needs for a RINO mailer.”
Boyd Gets Help from Guernsey
Mazzie Boyd, running in House 2 (northwest MO), is primarying Rep. Randy Railsback. It’s one of the very few (maybe the only) race where an incumbent representative who could lose a primary in this redistricting year. Boyd has strong conservative credentials.
Boyd is having an event later this month, hosted by the Guernseys. See it here. [Former Rep.] Casey Guernsey invites you to the farm residence of Alan and Vicki Guernsey to meet Mazzie Boyd, Republican Candidate for State Representative.
Help Wanted
Anheuser-Busch seeks Manager, Public Policy Analysis. “Track, monitor, and analyze proposals from the federal government and states that could impact A-B; Interpret and summarize bills, regulations, and proposals from political leaders and government officials; Identify, track, research, and summarize emerging (3-5 years out) public policy issues relevant to A-B; Provide support for internal clients, including Federal Government Affairs, State Government Affairs, Corporate Communications, and other teams in the Legal and Corporate Affairs department…”
Gubby Appts
Governor Mike Parson reappointed J. Allen Rowland, Mark Pierce, and Neal Bredehoeft to the Clean Water Commission.
$5K+ Contributions
Team Mike Carter - $500,000 from Mike Carter.
Committee for Liberty - $25,000 from Gerald Cook.
Lobbyists Registrations
David McCracken added Great State Strategies LLC.
Catalyst added Aggregate Industries Management, Inc. and Lafarge North America, Inc.
Jacqueline Clark deleted Aggregate Industries Management Inc, and Firestone Building Products.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Brad Robinson, Lori Hatton Rasmussen, and Mark Boyko.
Friday: Leonard Hughes, Scott Muschany, Ira Anders, and David Wood,
Saturday: Matt Dameron, Shane Cohn, and David Richardson.
Sunday: Gregg Hartley, Tom Rackers, Joe Pierle, Ryan Silvey, and Sarah Fenske.
MOScout Schedule
I’m taking a long weekend off. No update tomorrow or over the weekend. Be back Monday. (Legislature off on Monday, by the way).