MOScout Daily Update: Kehoe Hits Ashcroft - Eigel Hits Parson - Rowden Pledges Clean Campaign - MRP Warns Against Vetting and more...

Kehoe PAC Punches Ashcroft

American Dream PAC, a pro-Mike Kehoe political action committee, released a digital ad attacking Jay Ashcroft over remarks he made recently.  Ashcroft equivocated when asked if he would enforce pro-choice laws.  Ashcroft gave the right answer, that he would uphold his oath of office and if he couldn’t do that morally, he would resign.  But for American Dream that makes him “a quitter.”  See the ad here.

What if Washington quit at Valley Forge?  What if our soldiers quit at Normandy? What if America quit when Russia beat us to space?...

What It Means

Together with billboards that are popping up, it’s clear that Team Kehoe has decided that they’re going to start deploying their huge cash advantage early, attempting to define their opponents, and also inoculate Kehoe against expected attacks.

Eigel hits Parson

Sen. Bill Eigel, running for governor, took a swipe at Governor Mike Parson for encouraging folks to be civil in their political disagreements.  Jack Suntrup reports (read it here)… “What a joke,” Eigel said. “JC [Jefferson City] needs a reckoning. This is why Republicans lose elections.”

What It Means

How does someone who’s been a state senator for the last seven years run as an outsider? Attack the governor of his own party.

Rowden Kicks Off

Sen. Caleb Rowden kicked off his Secretary of State campaign to a packed house at Logboat Brewery.

One lobbyist marveled: I know it was a great turnout because I didn’t know 80% of the people in the room, which means that they are donors/supporters and not politicos, lobbyists, or staff.

In an approach that runs counter to modern campaign strategy, he pledged to run a campaign that unites Missourians instead of one that seeks to divide.

This strategy will stand in stark contrast to probably every other campaign this cycle. I imagine his primary rival, Sen. Denny Hoskins, will call Rowden a RINO and talk about border and wokeness etc. 

And Rowden’s response will be to talk about how he can use the office of secretary of state to streamline business filings and improve library access?

We’ll see….

MRP: Vet At Your Own Risk

There’s been a suggestion among some Missouri Republicans that they need to “vet” candidates beforehand to prevent RINOs (Republicans in name only) from using the party’s brand to get elected.

The counter argument is that this would be a return to backroom politicians picking candidates; the best vetting process is, of course, a primary election where the voters decide who deserves to be the Republican nominee.

The Missouri Republican Party issued a warning to Republican County Committees considering a vetting test.  They produced a legal opinion by Husch Blackwell’s Lowell Pearson cautioning them it was likely illegal, and saying they’d be one their own for legal bills.  The state party wasn’t going to backstop them.  See the memo here.

From MRP’s Chair Nick Myers to Republican County Chairs: In other words, if a county committee adopts this vetting document, they will most likely be sued. When a committee itself runs out of money, the officers of that committee could incur significant personal legal costs. This includes, but is not limited to, the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer… Get to know your candidates, support the candidate of your choice in the primary, then come together for the general election with your fellow Republicans to save this state and this country.

Cleaver Eying Retirement?

Politico quotes Congressman Emanuel Cleaver sounding like he’s getting fed up with DC.  Read it here.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘I can’t look at a horror show at home,’ and deciding that they don’t want to be here anymore,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). And the senior Democrat suggested that he, too, had a lot to think about over the holidays as he and his colleagues were “evaluating the value of staying.”

·       If the 79-year-old pol did call it quits, that would add a whole new stage to 2024 political drama.  One reader says the scrum to replace him would be a “brawl,” another a “free-for-all” and a third predicted a “Frank White vs Quinton Lucas death match.”

AIPAC Shock and Awe Coming?

Slate political reporter Alex Sammon reports that “AIPAC is gearing up to spend over *$100 MILLION* as part of a campaign to knock the Squad out of congress in 2024. Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, and Rashida Tlaib are all marked for high dollar challenges.”

New PACs

Missouri Values PAC was formed.  It’s a political action committee to support Rep. Adam Schwadron who is running for secretary of state.  Its treasurer is Scott Steinmann.

Lobbyist Registrations

Sawyer Olson added Owens Corning.

Nexus Group deleted Excellence In Education National, Inc., DBA Excellence In Education In Action, Leggett and Platt Inc, and REJIS.

$5K+ Contributions

Hy-Vee Employees PAC Federal Committee - Missouri - $20,750 from Hy-Vee Inc Employees PAC (Des Moines, IA).

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Sen. Justin Brown, Reps. Marlon Anderson and Cheri Toalson Reisch, Jeff Grisamore, Mike Person, and Penney Wood Rector.