MOScout Daily Update: Speaker Hruza? - Ragone for DeSantis - Gore as Interim? - Jami Chutzpah - Hoskins Kick-off Coming and more...

Quick clean out of the in-box ahead of the three-day weekend…

Hruza Kick-Off

Tipster says there was a huge crowd at the kick-off for George Hruza’s state House run, “including about two dozen state reps.” 

Hzura is running to replace termed Speaker Dean Plocher in House 89.  It’s one of the wealthiest districts in the state that previously sent John Diehl to his brief tenure as speaker.  Could we see it happen again in seven years?  Maybe: “He is starting his house career as favorite to be speaker one day…”

Ragone for DeSantis

On Twitter, Gregg Keller notes that Ascension’s Nick Ragone gets quoted at the Ron DeSantis kickoff.  Read it here.

“He still has momentum from a historic re-election in Florida. Now that he is finally going to be in, it is going to be a reset for this whole campaign,” said Nick Ragone, a St. Louis-based Republican bundler who is raising money for DeSantis. “This is going to be a two-person race, and that’s great news for DeSantis. I think the GOP base is really excited to see him get in the race.”

Follow-Up on CFG’s MO PAC

Interesting to see that the treasurer of the Club for Growth’s Missouri PAC is none other than Senator Eric Schmitt’s former chief of staff Justin Smith.

eMailbag: Other Grades from Session

·       Ed establishment- F - They had the best education deal for public schools with a very modest reform and they wouldn’t take it. No way they get as good of a deal for less next session.

·       Trail Attorneys- A+ - Showing everyone who needs something killed that the Senate chaos caucus is the way to go.

Gore As Interim?

One observer doesn’t see Gabe Gore running for re-election.  They think his plan is a speedy clean-up of the office and then hit the exit.  “I’ve heard that Gore wants a federal judgeship and thinks the circuit attorney position tees him up for it.”

We’ll see…

Jami Chutzpah

One St. Louis pol points to former Sen. Jamilah Nasheed out campaigning for St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts’ opponent, Alfred Montgomery, with surprise. 

·       Inside the STL cross-currents: Nasheed was appointed by Governor Mike Parson to the coveted Probation and Parole Board.  It was an appointment which required the support of Sen. Steven Roberts.  The Roberts family is close to Betts.

Next Month: Hoskins Kick-off

Sen. Denny Hoskins will kick-off his statewide campaign next month.  The event is slated for June 6 at Colton's Steak House in Warrensburg.

There’s been no official word about which statewide office Hoskins is declaring for, but the consensus talk is that he’ll be a candidate for secretary of state. 

Right now, that’s shaping up as a 3-way Republican primary with Hoskins, Caleb Rowden and Shane Schoeller.

Medicaid Derollment Begins

Post-Dispatch reports on Missouri beginning “the process of weeding out people who no longer qualify for Medicaid coverage.”  Read it here.

·       State welfare officials sent out more than 37,000 letters to low-income Missourians earlier this month asking them to renew their taxpayer-funded health insurance for the first time in three years… States had been barred from kicking anyone off the program since the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared in March 2020. That pause on verifying eligibility lifted on April 1.

·       Although there are no preliminary numbers showing how many in the first batch of renewals will lose coverage, Kim Evans, director of the Missouri Department of Social Services family support division, said Thursday there have not been many letters returned.

Lobbyists Registrations

Trent Watson added Zoll Services, LLC.

Noel Torpey deleted TEG (Trinity Education Group).

$5K+ Contributions

Sander for Missouri - $8,888 from Christopher Sander.

UAW Region 4 Midwest States PAC (MO) - $6,000 from Midwest State Cap Exchange.

Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee - $10,000 from Kelpe Contracting, Inc.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Reps. Raychel Proudie, and Renee Reuter, and Eric Wilson.

Saturday: Becky Lohmann, Bob Dixon, Scott Leiendecker, and KMOX’s Debbie Monterrey.

Sunday: Rep. Robert Sauls, Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez, Olivia Wilson, and Elijah Haahr.

Monday: Rep. Kevin Windham, Chris Dunn, Chuck Banks, and Damon Porter.

MOScout Schedule

I’m be off for the long Memorial Day weekend.  Hope you are too!  See you Tuesday.