MOScout Daily Update: Abortion Polling - Bell Moves to Nail Down Support - Ashcroft Court Loss - GOP Sen Caucus and more...
Bell Locks Down Support
There have been rumors that Sen. Brian Williams is contemplating entering the CD-1 race which now features St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell taking on incumbent Congresswoman Cori Bush.
One source says that Bell has acted decisively to head off this possibility…
It was a critical 24-hour period. Realizing that a 3-way race including Williams would be next-to-impossible to win, Bell moved quickly to consolidate support among the mainstream wing of the party, with a focus on locking down support in a few key areas: women; the Jewish community; and the Clayton-University City that formed the heart of Williams’ base in his successful 2018 Senate campaign.
· A few early names said to be backing his primary challenge: major donor Dana Sandweiss, former state Sen. Jill Schupp; fundraiser extraordinaire Rose-Lynn Sokol, Rabbi Susan Talve.
· Also rumored: a large slate of North County municipal mayors and local police chiefs set to go public at week's end.
· And word is that the Bell campaign is on track to raise six figures this week - quite a haul considering Bell’s cash on hand at the end of the 3rd quarter was just five figures!
Driving the Day: Senate Republicans Caucus
Senate Republicans will caucus today. On the agenda…
· Political update and look at 2024 elections;
· Budget discussions;
· Talk of 2024 session priorities.
Court Hands Ashcroft Defeat
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft suffered a defeat at the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District. They ruled that the lower court was correct: his ballot language for the reproductive health rights constitutional amendment was unfair. Read the ruling here.
· One excerpt from the court’s lecture to Ashcroft: “Right to life” is a partisan political phrase in the same manner that “right to choose” is a partisan political phrase. The language used in a summary statement should “fairly and impartially summarize the purposes of the measure so that voters will not be deceived or misled.” The use of the term “right to life” is simply not an impartial term.
Here’s a sample of the new ballot language (pending Ashcroft’s next appeal)…
Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:
• establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference presumed invalid;
• remove Missouri’s ban on abortion;
• allow regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain health of patient;
• prohibit government discrimination against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care;
• allow abortion to be restricted or banned after Fetal Viability except to protect life or health of the woman;
• allow General Assembly to enact parental consent requirements for abortions involving minors, with exceptions; and
• declare government funding of abortion is not required?
What It Means
This ruling is probably good news for the other “middle ground” pro-choice IPs which are also suing to overturn Ashcroft’s language.
And
Missouri Women and Family Research Fund, which is backing the “middle ground” IPs, released results from a statewide poll conducted Oct. 19-23, 2023. See it here. Very wide majorities in favor of exemptions for women’s health and rape…
Q7 - Do you think Missouri should allow abortion to be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances or illegal in all circumstances?
Legal under any circumstances 36%
Legal only under certain circumstances 51%
Illegal in all circumstances 13%
Q8_1 - If the pregnancy endangers the woman’s life or health -Thinking about specific circumstances, do you think abortion should be legal in Missouri...
Yes, legal 79%
No, not legal 11%
Unsure 10%
Q8_2 - In cases of rape or incest -Thinking about specific circumstances, do you think abortion should be legal in Missouri...
Yes, legal 80%
No, not legal 12%
Unsure 8%
Q8_3 - Up to 12 weeks -Thinking about specific circumstances, do you think abortion should be legal in Missouri...
Yes, legal 58%
No, not legal 29%
Unsure 13%
Q8_4 - Up to 24 weeks -Thinking about specific circumstances, do you think abortion should be legal in Missouri...
Yes, legal 31%
No, not legal 53%
Unsure 16%
Plocher Problems
KCStar reports on the House Ethics Committee. Read it here.
A source with knowledge of Friday’s inquiry told The Star that the committee is examining whether House Chief Clerk Dana Miller has the authority to continue paying Kenny Ross, [Speaker Dean] Plocher’s former chief of staff whom he fired earlier this month. The concern, the source said, is whether Ross was protected as a whistleblower when he was fired. The committee is also examining whether Plocher followed proper procedure when he fired Ross, the source said. The source spoke on condition of anonymity due to confidentiality rules surrounding the inquiry. Missouri law prohibits public employees from taking disciplinary actions against other employees for disclosing potential wrongdoing. Ross could be considered a whistleblower because he has “knowledge of potential illegal activity that he came forward with,” the source said…
Ketchmark Lands Whale
Reuters reports on a whooper of a lawsuit award.
· A U.S. jury on Tuesday found the National Association of Realtors and some residential brokerages, including units of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, liable to pay $1.78 billion in damages for conspiring to artificially inflate commissions for home sales. The verdict by a federal jury in Kansas City, Missouri, could upend decades-old practices that have allowed real estate agents to boost commissions as home prices and mortgage rates rise, hurting consumers by making housing transactions more expensive…
· The verdict followed a two-week trial, and the damages award can be tripled under U.S. antitrust law to more than $5.3 billion.
· “Today was a day of accountability,” said Michael Ketchmark, the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs.
Why It Matters
Ketchmark is one of the state’s biggest political donors…
· This year his firm, Ketchmark & McCreight gave $125,000 to Liberty and Justice PAC, the pro-Andrew Bailey PAC.
· Last year he gave $375,000 to Committee for Liberty. The pro-Jay Ashcroft PAC.
Trump-Roe Tiff Endanger Scharf?
Punchbowl News reports… Two top aides to former President Donald Trump have approached several House Republicans with a stark warning — top Republican political operative Jeff Roe cannot have a foothold in Speaker Mike Johnson’s orbit. Roe, of course, is lead strategist for Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ run for the GOP presidential nomination. Which makes him persona non grata in Trump world.
· Will Scharf has accessed Trumpworld as a legal advisor, but some wonder if his association to Roe (Axiom is his consultant) could endanger the ultimate prize: a Trump endorsement. Clearly that will be the message Team Bailey will try to get to The Donald.
Lobbyists Registrations
Susan Henderson Moore and Cara Alexander added NEET (NetEra Energy Transmission); and deleted The University of Kansas Hospital Authority, and Piper Sandler & CO.
Scott Penman and Kaycee Nail added Aspire Advocates; and deleted Operation Food Search.
Tom Rackers added Sam Wiles, and Ozark Prosthetics and Orthotics.
Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Brittany Hyatt Robbins, Christopher Schoeman, and Alec Rosenblum added Police Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 15.
Steven Tilley and Thomas Robbins deleted Supermarket Merchandising.
$5K+ Contributions
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $10,000 from Missouri Corn Growers Association.
American Dream PAC - $10,000 from MLPA Legislative Fund.
Freedom Incorporated - $25,000 from Heavy Constructors Association.
Friends of Missouri State University PAC - $10,000 from Nabholz Construction Corporation (Rogers, AR).