MOScout Daily Update: Ghost of Todd Akin in Senate 24 - Special Session Goes Slo-Mo - Parson's Imprint on Judiciary - Oliver on Trump Impact and more...

McCreery Hits Hruza

In her new commercial, Rep. Tracy McCreery attacks George Hruza over his position on abortion.  McCreery and Hruza facing each other in Senate 24 (St. Louis County) where Sen. Jill Schupp is termed out.

See the new ad here.

Script: My opponent, George Hruza, has given tens of thousands of dollars to radical anti-choice politicians. With Hruza’s support, these same politicians passed a near total ban on abortion – even in cases of rape and incest… I trust women to make their own healthcare decisions…

·       Ghost of Todd Akin… Part of the McCreery hit on Hruza is that he donated “$9,500 to [Akin’s] campaigns including $1,000 AFTER his infamous ‘legitimate rape’ comments.”

Special Session Drags On

The special session to pass an income tax cut and agricultural tax credits has turned into a slow-moving slog…

·       The Senate won’t be in session at all this week.  They’re not scheduled to return until October 3.

·       The House, meanwhile, won’t gather as a body until Thursday…

Sen. Jason Bean’s SB 8, passed out of the Senate, but lays largely forgotten over in the House which passed their own agriculture bill.  That bill, HB 3, barely passed out of the House creating a bit of a role reversal.  It’s usually the Senate which tells an exasperated House they have to take something as it’s the best they could finesse through their chamber.  Now it’s the House which is telling the Senate they shouldn’t hope for anything more than HB 3. 

Wednesday the House Budget Committee will hold a hearing on Sen. Lincoln Hough’s SB 3, as well as three income tax cut bills filed by Budget Chair Cody Smith – HBs 12, 13 and 14.  It’s expected that the House will counter the Senate’s income tax cut with their own (presumably larger) version.

In Other Words…

·       We have weeks of Special Session ahead of us…

Ellebracht Still Seeking Judgeship

Rep. Mark Ellebracht was among the recent applicant for the associate circuit judge vacancy in Division 5 of the Seventh Judicial Circuit.  This is the second time Ellebracht has applied for a judgeship.

Ellebracht is running House 17 against Republican Bill Allen. Allen originally filed as a Libertarian, but withdrew and re-filed as a Republican.

The district has Dem lean, but is swingable in the right circumstances...

·       Democrat Claire McCaskill beat Josh Hawley in 2018 by 8.9%

·       Democrat Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by 5.2%

·       Democrat Nicole Galloway beat Mike Parson by 4%.

·       Democrat Alissia Canady beat Mike Kehoe by 1.3%

But

·       Republican Jay Ashcroft beat Yinka Faleti by 5.2%.

·       Republican Eric Schmitt beat Rich Finneran by 1.8%.

·       Republican Scott Fitzpatrick beat Vicki Englund by 1.1%.

FYI

The other applicants for the judgeship are: Beau Broussard, William J. Greim Jr., Allison M. Kleinow, Calan T. McConkey, Kelly J. Rosine Ruark, Peter W. Schloss, and Katie Jo Wheeler.

Parson Appoints 100th Judge

Press release from last week… Today, Governor Mike Parson marked the 100th judicial appointment of his administration with the appointment of Judge Renee Hardin-Tammons to the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District… According to the Supreme Court of Missouri, there are seven Supreme Court judges, 32 appellate court judges, 147 circuit court judges, and 204 associate circuit court judges in Missouri. According to records maintained at the state archive, during their respective tenures, Governor John Ashcroft made 132 judicial appointments, Governor Mel Carnahan made 117 judicial appointments, and Governor Jay Nixon made 125. Each having made judicial appointments over an eight year-span.

What It Means

As we head in Parson’s final two-year stretch as governor, he’s likely thinking more and more about his legacy.  Judicial appointments are one aspect of that.

And

Springfield News Leader reports that “within the next year, an entirely new set of circuit court judges will take the bench in Greene County.  Most of the outgoing circuit court judges in Greene County have been on the bench since the early 2000s, some even the late 1990s, and have shaped the judicial system in Springfield for decades.” 

·       Circuit court judges handle trials and sentencing hearings for the most serious crimes and also preside over multi-million-dollar civil cases. This much judge turnover is unprecedented, and some attorneys in town are worried about possible delays and other uncertainties it may cause.

·       The reason for the turnover mostly has to do with the "mandatory" retirement age for circuit court judges in Missouri, which is 70.

Trump Sucking $$$ From Other GOPers?

New York Times reports on the impact of Donald Trump’s aggressive fundraising on other Republican candidates. 

·       Pull Quote: “These are candidates that have never run for office before and never done the work necessary to develop relationships at the grass-roots or donor level in their own states or nationally,” said Jack Oliver, a longtime Republican fund-raiser. He then alluded to the way that many of them claimed their nominations: “If you can just go on Tucker or get Trump to endorse you, you don’t have to go meet with voters or donors.”

Lobbyists Registrations

Eapen Thampy added Silo Wellness.     

$5K+ Contributions

Serve Missouri PAC (pro-McCreery) - $10,000 from Missouri NEA PAC.

House Democratic Campaign Committee - $30,000 from Crystal PAC.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters Missouri PAC - Federal Committee - $150,000 from IBT Drive (Washington DC).

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Sen. Lauren Arthur, Mike Reid, Barbara Mustoe, Penny Hubbard, and Justin Hill.