MOScout Daily Update: Huckabee for Ashcroft - Team Sinque Chessboard - More Sports Betting IPs - Brattin Preps for Fight and more...
HuckPAC Backs Ashcroft
In the large contributions, Mike Huckabee’s PAC, HUCK PAC, sent $50,000 to Jay Ashcroft’s PAC. Huckabee is former Arkansas governor and former presidential candidate as well as pops to the current Arkansas governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Why It Matters
· The support could signal future support from the Huckabee network and perhaps other national social conservatives.
· Ashcroft’s fundraising has lagged LG Mike Kehoe’s and a boost from national groups would be welcome.
The Sinque Chessboard
It’s been an interesting week watching the checks from Rex Sinquefield to various legislators. Sinquefield sent checks to…
· Both Sen. Andrew Koenig, and Rep. Cody Smith – both running for state treasurer.
· Both Sen. Denny Hoskins and Sen. Caleb Rowden – both running for secretary of state.
What the chessboard looks like to me…
· Team Sinque is focused on the upcoming legislative session, not next year’s primary battles. The checks seem to be telling folks they’re not picking sides on these statewide contests until perhaps after session.
· Maybe they’re waiting to see who can play nice in the building, who can advance issues of education reform, tax reform, and criminal justice reform.
· Maybe the next state treasurer is less important to their long-term objectives than a functioning legislature.
More Sports Betting IPs
Alixandra Cossette, a lawyer with Stinson LLP apparently working on behalf of the profession sports teams, filed eight more initiative petitions concerning sports betting.
I scanned through them and they look substantially the same as the four they had filed earlier this fall. It looks like they’re tinkering with legalese.
· Assuming we see folks this Spring actually out across Missouri collecting signatures, this could be a serious effort to circumvent the legislature.
· Missouri is just one of a handful of states left that hasn’t legalized sports betting in some form.
Team Ashcroft Scoffs at Eigel “Polling”
The supposed “polling” the Eigel camp is pushing is as misleading as his fundraising tactics. Two things have remained constant in this race: Jay Ashcroft has maintained a ~20% lead over Mike Kehoe and Bill Eigel has continued to trail the margin of error.
Brattin Preps for Political Fight
As Sen. Rick Brattin braces for a big re-election fight next year, he’s rallying grassroots support. Yesterday a letter from conservatives in his district took aim at Rep. Mike Haffner’s entry…
As grassroots leaders in Senate District 31, we are compelled to come forward with a joint statement concerning the senatorial race and our support for Senator Brattin, who has consistently won our favor through his conservative leadership and representation…
As a whole, we are disappointed in Representative Haffner for joining this race. He has one more term he could serve in the House, yet he is challenging a staunch conservative in the senate.
Senator Brattin’s scorecard from the conservative group, Freedom Principle MO, is 86%, and it is 100% from CPAC. Representative Haffner received a 74% scorecard from Freedom Principle MO and a 77% score from CPAC…
We, as grassroots leaders, in a personal capacity, are hereby making this joint statement to support our conservative fighter, Senator Rick Brattin, the only true conservative in this race.
Matt Goben, Cass County Concerned Citizens
John Webb, Cass County Concerned Citizens
Mary Webb, Cass County Concerned Citizens
Brenda Marble, Cass County Voices Founder
Dee Miller, Cass County Voices Co-Founder
Melissa Thomas, Cass County Central Committee Chair
Jim Pelis, Cass County Central Committee Vice Chair
Tracy Evilsizor, MAFA MO Cass County Leader
Jerry Ellis, We the People of Johnson County
Rachel Gifford, We the People of Johnson County
New Committees
South Asian DESI PAC was formed. It’s in support of Rep. Ben Keathley. Its treasurer is Pari Sheth. See the paperwork here.
Lobbyists Registrations
David Jackson and Sarah Schlemeier added Pulsara Inc.
Jay Reichard and Gunnar See added Alibaba Group.
Jeremy Roberts added LEAD.
Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Brittany Hyatt Robbins, and Christopher Schoeman deleted LJ Education Publishing Company LLC, Tremco CPG Incorporated, EBC - Missouri LLC, and MoCanCure II.
$5K+ Contributions
Missouri Democratic State Committee - $10,000 from IUOE Local 513 Political & Education Fund.
Committee for Liberty (pro-Ashcroft) - $50,000 from HuckPAC (Little Rock, AR).
Violet For Missouri - $10,000 from Terri Violet.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Jerry Nolte, and Randy Ashbury.