MOScout Daily Update: Scharf on Trump Indictment - Spoxless Bell Campaign - Fitz on Univeristy $$$ - Disappearing Issues and more...
Quick Friday update…
Scharf Jumps Into Trump Indictment Debate
Republican Attorney General candidate Will Scharf tweeted out a thread offering his analysis of the indictment of Donald Trump. Read it here. It’s a bit more intelligent than the former attorney general’s tweet: Joe Biden has now indicted his top political opponent. Full on Banana Republic stuff.
Scharf lays out the case that Trump’s state of mind is a critical component of the crime, and that’s usually a tough thing to prove.
· Why It Matters: Trump (whose endorsement could be critical if he chose to insert himself in the primary) is a fan of Scharf’s tweets; Gregg Keller pointed out that Trump used the Scharf’s analysis in a subsequent email blast…
Bell Campaign Still “Setting Up”
In the Post-Dispatch’s recent article about endorsements for Lucas Kunce, the Wesley Bell campaign comes off sounding a bit disorganized.
Bell's campaign, officially dubbed "Bell For Missouri," has yet to release any endorsements, though it has filed its initial paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. A statement of organization filed June 7 lists Caroline C. Miller of Webster Groves as its campaign manager.
Miller declined to talk with the Post-Dispatch and referred calls to GPS Impact, a consulting group headed by longtime political operative Roy Temple. A spokesperson for GPS said Miller was occupied with setting up the campaign and was unavailable for comment.
· One MOScouter: No spox?!? In a US Senate race? When asked by the paper of record in your hometown?
Why FLA Lawsuit Isn’t Comparable
Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick (and former Budget Chair) explains why the recent lawsuit in Florida over land grant university funding isn’t analogous to Missouri’s funding of universities.
Lincoln receives $4,723 (53%) more per student than Mizzou from the state. [The article about the Florida lawsuit] says FAMU gets $2,600 LESS per student. These situations are not comparable. Mizzou funded their land grant from their core appropriation. There was no separate appropriation for the land grants.
Talent at Gregory Event
Former US Senator Jim Talent will be the special guest at a joint fundraiser for David Gregory and Rep. Philip Oehlerking. Speaker Dean Plocher and Floor Leader Jon Patterson are also headlining the event.
Death of Issues?
Time Magazine looks at the campaign websites’ incredibly shrinking Issues page. Read it here.
“Issues” pages, which outline candidates’ stances on key policy topics, have long been expected features of campaign websites… Strategists agree that the country has become so polarized that the candidates’ positions on issues matter much less than they once did. In general elections, many voters will simply support the candidate of their preferred party without bothering to look up their stances. But even for those competing in primaries, an “Issues” page may not benefit a candidate as much as it once did.
Lobbyist Registrations
Thomas Dempsey and Dave Berry added Consolidated North County Levee District; and deleted Empower Missouri (formerly Mo Association For Social Welfare).
$5K+ Contributions
CN-MO PAC - $125,000 from Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of Missouri (Miami, FL).
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $5,650 from Gary Forsee.
Missouri Senate Campaign Committee - $30,000 from NEMO Leadership PAC (pro-O’Laughlin).
Liberty PAC - $7,500 from Taxpayers Unlimited Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Congressman Jason Smith, Bill White, August Busch III, Bob Burns, and John Pelzer.
MOScout Schedule
No MOScout Monday June 19 (Juneteenth).