MOScout Daily Update: Berger Eyes Senate 27 - MSCC Spars With HRCC - Readers' Poll Part II and more...
Burger Revaluates Senate 27
Rep. Jamie Burger has begun making calls this week to Senate 27 Republicans gauging support for a campaign if he would jump into the Senate primary to replace Holly Rehder.
I’m told that Burger, who is currently in the race to replace Floor Leader Jon Patterson, is being recruited by business leaders. He agreed to make calls to gauge support, but he’ll continue to stay in the race for Floor Leader until he makes the determination regarding the Senate.
What It Means
· If Burger does choose to go the Senate route, that confirms that Rep. Alex Riley has the votes needed to win the floor leader’s race.
· In terms of the Senate 27 race, there still strong speculation a Cape Girardeau candidate will enter at some point. Burger’s base, Scott County, has a substantial chunk of votes. He would be formidable against a Cape candidate with a similar path as Holly Rehder. However, Rehder was able to scoop up the rural parts of the district to overcome Cape turnout. That’d be difficult for Burger to do with Rep. Chris Dinkins already in the race as well.
House GOP and Senate GOP Split on Redistricting Case
In court filings the House Republican Campaign Committee and the Republican Senate’s campaign committee (Missouri Senate Campaign Committee) are taking opposite sides of a case to determine whether senate district lines are constitutional.
The House filing (see it here) argues that the state constitution places a higher priority on keeping counties and local political subdivisions intact than it does on compactness.
The Senate filing (see it here) takes the contrary position.
But the Senate filing also takes some shots at the House brief. It says that House members are attempting to use the process for personal gain, to make their future races more hospitable.
From the Senate filing: In a surprising twist, the HRCC seeks leave to file an amicus brief in favor of the Appellants, individuals aligned with Democratic interests. This strange alignment is worthy of this Court’s attention because it speaks to the interest of each amicus… individual members of the HRCC who aspire to advance to the Senate may have a purely personal interest in tailoring Senate districts in which they hope to run in the future… It is an open question, then, whether the HRCC’s amicus brief is truly motivated by the corporate purposes of the HRCC to increase Republican House membership, or is, instead, an ultra vires act meant to advance the personal interests of a few individual HRCC members who hope to have this Court “draw” Senate districts that will advance the next stage of their careers. This is no idle concern…
· The attorney on the House brief is Lowell Person. The Senate brief was authored by the Graves Law firm, including Mizzou Curator Todd Graves.
MOScout Readers Poll Results
The results of yesterday’s Readers’ Poll.
Q1: IP Most Likely to Pass 2024
Anything pro-choice 40.80%
Higher minimum wage 33.60%
Lake of the Ozarks casino 7.20%
Sports betting 18.40%
Other answers: None of the above.
Q2 Most Effective Use of Office as Platform for Higher Office
Jay Ashcroft attacking pro-choice IPs 24.60%
Andrew Bailey attacking Washington University 22.22%
Vivek Malek attacking Chinese investments 51.59%
Dean Plocher attacking Dana Rademan Miller 1.59%
Other answers: Rep Tricia Byrnes demanding the cleanup of Weldon Springs
Q3 Trumpiest Legislator
Ben Baker 38.32%
Ann Kelley 10.28%
Mike Moon 26.17%
Brian Seitz 25.23%
Other answers: Bill Eigel; Nick Schroer; Denny Hoskins; Brad Hudson; Bill Hardwick.
Q4 Romneyiest Legislator
Sandy Crawford 6.40%
Jon Patterson 18.40%
Lane Roberts 9.60%
Caleb Rowden 65.60%
Other answers: Karla Eslinger; Mike Cierpiot.
Q5 Housiest Senator
Rick Brattin 36.36%
Jill Carter 14.05%
Bill Eigel 24.79%
Angela Mosley 24.79%
Other answers: Travis Fitzwater; Mary Elizabeth Coleman.
Q6 Most Senatorial House Member
David Evans 22.32%
Brenda Shields 55.36%
David Tyson Smith 13.39%
Del Taylor 8.93%
Other answers: Mike Henderson; Aaron McMullen; Robert Sauls; Kurtis Gregory; Jon Patterson; Phil Christofanelli.
Q7 Best legislator to be shipwrecked with
Alan Gray 3.74%
Kurtis Gregory 72.90%
Mike Haffner 19.63%
Michael Johnson 3.74%
Other answers: Marlon Anderson; Patty Lewis; Bill Hardwick is Army Engineer, Hunter, former Constructor Worker and he’s funny; Jill Carter; Mazzie Boyd; Mike Bernskoetter; Sen. Ben Brown. I have no doubt he is equally capable of fighting off sharks as he is cooking a tasty meal out of native plants and animals.
Q8 Dem most likely to be the next statewide winner
Lauren Arthur 21.37%
Donna Baringer 3.42%
Richard Brown 1.71%
Crystal Quade 14.53%
Stephen Webber 58.97%
Q9 Senator Least Likely to Sit Once They’re Standing
Denny Hoskins 17.74%
Karla May 12.90%
Mike Moon 63.71%
Barbara Washington 5.65%
Q10 Biggest Beneficiary of the new Freedom Caucus
Freedom Caucus members' statewide campaigns 9.45%
Senate Democrats 55.91%
MATA 34.65%
Other answers: All of the above
MOScout Readers Poll: Part II
And now the Readers’ Poll Part II… Take it here.
Lobbyist Registrations
David Winton, Jessica Petrie, and Chase Campbell added Common Sense Leadership Fund, Inc.
Scott Swain added Coil Construction Inc.
Dena Ladd added Missourians for Fair Business Practices Coalition.
Eapen Thampy added Midwest Psychedelic Training, and Satya Therapeutics; and deleted Crypto World, and Neptune Resources.
$5K+ Contributions
Missouri Forward PAC (pro-Rowden) - $50,000 from Rex Sinquefield.
Missouri Forward PAC - $25,000 from SNK Real Property Holdings LLC.
Missouri Forward PAC - $10,000 from Caesars Enterprise Services LLC (Las Vegas, NV).
Missouri Senate Campaign Committee - $10,000 from Kansas City Chiefs Football Club.
Believe in Life and Liberty - BILL PAC (pro-Eigel) - $10,000 from North Point Consulting PC (Effingham, IL).
Believe in Life and Liberty - BILL PAC - $9,675 from Richard Pogue.
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $25,000 from MO Six PAC.
MO Six PAC (pro-Bernskoetter) - $10,000 from Rightpath PAC.
Dave Raithel For the 44th - $10,000 from Dave Raithel.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to James Harris, LuAnn Madsen, Sue Entlicher, and Renee Hulshof.
MOScout Schedule
As we finish up the holidays, I’ll be taking the weekend off again. Off Saturday, Sunday and Monday (New Year’s Day).