MOScout Daily Update: Eigel Taps Small Donors - Christofanelli on Trump Charges - Quade on Ashcroft - Rowden on House and more....

Quick Friday update…

Five Weeks Left of Session

The legislature is off on Monday. 

There are now five weeks left in session; last day is Friday May 12.

Deadline to pass budget is Friday May 5.

First in MOScout: Eigel Taps Small Donors

Sen. Bill Eigel will soon release his latest fundraising quarter.  Look for huge increase in small donations to his campaign for governor.

·       Neither his candidate committee, nor BillPAC have recorded a large contribution this quarter.  And yet they will bring in close to $300K when they report their numbers.

·       The reports will list more than 6,500 individual donors.

·       Team Eigel says their outreach program it’s still ramping up with the biggest chunk of those donors coming in the latest month.

·       Not unlike Democrat Lucas Kunce, it appears this is an effort to “nationalize” the gubernatorial race with base voters, the contributions coming largely over the internet and from across the country.

But… one MOScouter yawns that we’ve seen this movie before: Taylor Burks did the same thing in the 4th Congressional primary with zero success. I don’t see it working out any better for the Senator.

Quade Dings Ashcroft Announcement

Minority Leader Crystal Quade, the rumored Democratic candidate for governor, hits Jay Ashcroft on his gubernatorial announcement… “Ashcroft feels holding office is his birthright based on his father’s accomplishments instead of a sacred duty to serve the citizens of Missouri. Missourians deserve a governor who is dedicated to them, not an extremist who thinks he’s entitled to the People’s Mansion because of his last name.”

·       The Quade path to the governor’s mansion is for Ashcroft to mop up the Republican primary and then have an Todd Atkin gaffe.  It’s not a zero-probability scenario, by the way.

eMailbag: One Path to Sports Betting

VLTs can’t pass the house or senate.   They’re not even close.  But this is now on senate leadership.  Do they want sports betting?  One way.  Put the bill out there and leave out there until it’s done. 

House-Senate Tensions

Senate Pro Tem Caleb Rowden expressed frustration with the House’s inclusion of language barring diversity equity and inclusion programs from the Missouri budget.

See it here.

“You don’t throw these types of billion-dollar type altering language in the middle of the budget without thinking about what you’re doing. And frankly I just don’t think they thought a lot about it.”

Beware: This could become a real flashpoint.  After watching the FRA impasse two years ago, it’s not a forgone conclusion that a compromise is reached.  Folks might just dig in, budget deadlines be damned.

Christofanelli Decries Trump Charges

Rep. Phil Christofanelli filed a resolution to “condemn the political prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump.”

See the resolution here.

It’s co-sponsored by two Republican representatives: Hardy Billington, Mazzie Boyd, Jeff Coleman, Ron Copeland, Dirk Deaton, Jeff Farnan, Willard Haley, Jim Kalberloh, Chris Lonsdale, Mark Matthiesen, Mike McGirl, Lane Roberts, Chris Sander, Cody Smith, Justin Sparks, Lisa Thomas, Tim Taylor, Bob Titus, Cheri Toalson-Reisch, and Richard West           

·       Christofanelli is running in Senate 23 against hard-right Rep. Adam Schnelting.

Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Parson announced four appointments…

·       Gib Adkins, of Lebanon, was appointed to the Missouri Community Service Commission.

·       Brad Belk, of Joplin, was appointed to the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

·       Marie Lasater, of Licking, was appointed to the Coroner Standards and Training Commission.

·       Thomas Whittaker, of Kansas City, was appointed to the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners.

Lobbyists Registrations

Andy Arnold added Iowa 80 Group, Inc.    

Holly Dawn Neill added The Nature Conservancy.

$5K+ Contributions

7th District Congressional Republican Committee - $10,641 from Friends of Steve Helms.

The 1821 PAC - $62,500 from RightCHOICE Managed Care, Inc.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Ryan Rowden, Kaycee Nail, and Suzie Pollock.

Saturday: Ron Leone, Mike Sutherland, PJ White, and Mike Thomson.

Sunday: Casey Wasser, Judy Baker, and Matt Lieberman.

Monday: Eric Greitens.

MOScout Schedule

Long weekend alert.  The legislature is off on Monday, and so am I.  Next MOScout will be Tuesday morning.