MOScout Daily Update: Smith Fundy - Mantovani's Path - Wasson Sues Hospital - Roorda Out - Agape Mess and more...

Big Smith Fundy Tonight

There’s a big fundraiser tonight in Joplin for Budget Chair Cody Smith. At the home of Lance Beshore, it will feature both Speaker Rob Vescovo and Speaker-elect Dean Plocher as “special guests.”  See the invite here.

Smith – like Vescovo and Plocher – is a generous donor to the House Republican Campaign Committee which help build and maintain the Republican majority,

Politico: “Big event... Will raise lots of dough and help continue to raise his profile.”

So what’s next for Smith when he’s termed in 2024? 

There are five statewide offices up for election that year, but it’s looking like really only two options for Smith – and other aspiring Republicans.

The governor’s race is already pretty full;  the expectation is that we’ll have new incumbents, by way of Parson appointments, in the treasurer and attorney general positions.  That only leaves secretary of state and lieutenant governor for would-be state-wide candidates.

·       The downside of supermajority dominance for Republicans is crowded fights for higher office.  And that means you gotta start early and you gotta raise money early.

Also

It appears this end-of-the-quarter event is one of the reasons the House didn’t get a jump on the week and start yesterday.  Instead, special session committee work won’t start until tomorrow this week.

Mantovani’s Pitch

Mark Mantovani, Democrat-turned-Republican candidate for St. Louis County Executive, unveiled his new website.  And he’s scheduled to hold his first major fundraiser tomorrow in the suburbs of Town and Country.

Excerpts from Team Mantovani’s pitch for how he wins (see the document here)…

·       Sam Page has been in the news often with numerous scandals within his Administration.  Recent polling indicates that he is extremely vulnerable.  On the crucial question about his re-election: Only 38% of voters would re-elect him while 44% of voters want someone new.  Additionally, among the key group of Independent voters:  Only 31% of Independents would re-elect him while 49% of Independents want someone new…

·       Mark Mantovani is a Unique Candidate… Mark previously ran for St. Louis County Executive in the democratic primary in 2020 and 2022… Mark will need Democratic & Independent votes in order to win this race. His two previous races as a Democrat as well as Sam Page’s un-favorability with Independents could provide Mark with the coalition he needs to win this race. 

·       Mid-term Turnout: While the 2020 election had 79.28% turnout in St. Louis County, mid-term elections have seen significantly lower turnout over the previous 15 years. The drop in turnout has allowed Republicans to close the gap in previous Mid-term elections, with low propensity Democrat voters being less likely to vote in non-Presidential elections.

Wasson Sues Failed Hospital

Former Sen. Jay Wasson, who recently placed second in the CD-7 primary, filed suit against Noble Health Audrain and one of its executives earlier this month.

It appears that Noble failed to make good on a $500,000 promissory note to Wasson.

·       Noble Health was in the news in August.  Kaiser Health News ran an article highlighting the mismanagement of their hospitals as a broader expose about private equity firms and the closure of rural hospitals.  See that article here.

Agape Mess

Speaker Rob Vescovo, tired of watching nothing happen to the Agape boarding school accused of abusing children, implored the US Attorney to intervene.  Missouri Independent has the story here.  See Vescovo’s letter here.

·       Attorney General Eric Schmitt has floundered in his attempts to take command of the situation.  Yesterday he filed a new case.

·       Meanwhile, Governor Mike Parson has been remarkably quiet on the issue.

Roorda Out At SLPOA

Riverfront Times reported yesterday that “Jeff Roorda has been let go from the police union he has long represented — with the president of the St. Louis Police Officers Association asking the city to remove him ‘from all bargaining related emails moving forward.’”

Democrat-turned-Republican Roorda recently lost his bid for state senate in Jefferson County.

·       Roorda: “The current president seems to believe that parting ways with me will curry favor in the form of police raises with an anti-police Mayor who has demanded my ouster in retaliation for my tireless advocacy for our officers.”

Gender-Related Surgeries

New York Times reports on transgender teens having top surgery.

·       Few groups of young people have received as much attention. Republican elected officials across the United States are seeking to ban all so-called gender-affirming care for minors, turning an intensely personal medical decision into a political maelstrom with significant consequences for transgender adolescents and their families.

·       Gender-related surgeries, in particular, have been thrust into the spotlight. Arizona and Alabama passed laws this year making it illegal for doctors to perform gender-related surgeries on transgender patients under 18. Conservative commentators with large followings on social media have recently targeted children’s hospitals that offer gender surgeries, leading to online harassment and bomb threats.

·       Genital surgeries in adolescents are exceedingly rare, surgeons said, but top surgeries are becoming more common.

·       The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, an international group of gender experts who write best practices for the field, had been planning for months to set new age minimums for most gender-related surgeries, including endorsing top surgery for adolescents age 15 and up. Although the guidelines are not binding, they provide a standard for doctors across the world. But this month, the group abruptly withdrew the proposals, a shift reflecting both political pressures and a lack of consensus in the medical community.

$5K+ Contributions

Majority Forward - $25,000 from Pipe Fitters Local 533 Volunteer Political Fund.

MO Society of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee - $10,000 from Ozark Anesthesia Associates.

Serve Missouri PAC (pro-McCreery) - $15,000 from L.I.U.N.A. Local 110 PAC Fund.

Legal Missouri 2022 - $25,000 from Show-Me Alternatives LLC.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Richard Moore, Becky Ruth, Dave Sweeney, and Paul Wagner.