MOScout Daily Update: Kehoe Boasts Big SW Support - MOChamber Champs - Abortion Malpractice Suits? - Hawley Staffing Moves and more...

Quick Friday update…

Kehoe Draws SW Support

Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe will hold a fundraiser Sunday night at the home of Jan and Peter Herschend, just outside Branson.

The invite host committee (see it here) is full of Southwest MO heavyweights.

·       This part of the state is presumed to be Ashcroft territory, but Kehoe is gamely making a play at securing a good chunk of donor dollars.

Chamber Announces Their “Champions”

Missouri Chamber of Commerce released their list of “champions.”  It’s those legislators who voted with the Chamber priorities at least 75% of the time.

That proved not a terribly tough threshold to meet for most to meet.  26 of the Senate’s 34 senators made the grade, including all of the chamber’s Democrats.  Those who didn’t: Sens. Rick Brattin, Ben Brown, Bill Eigle, Jill Carter, Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Denny Hoskins, Mike Moon, and Nick Schroer.

99 of the House’s 163 members were designated Champions.  Interestingly, one of the rated votes was on the hot-button amendment to prohibit the state from contracting with businesses that have DEI policies and programs.  The Chamber, obviously, opposed it as they favor letting businesses make their own business decisions.

·       See the Chamber’s list of Champions and rated votes here.

eMailbag: Bailey Loses By Losing

"Just got a ton of earned media with the message being that he is pro-life"---My takeaway from the media I read wasn't that Andrew Bailey is pro-life, it was the state's top attorney has no respect for the rule of law and/or needs a refresher course on how law works.

Sample of just a few headlines:

·       Judge: Missouri AG had 'absolute absence of authority' to question abortion initiative cost • Missouri Independent

·       Judge Rules Attorney General Acted Illegally - KCUR

·       Judge Rules Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey failed to perform ministerial duty - KY3

·       Editorial: Missouri attorney general and the mathematics of zealotry - STLPD

·       Judge rules MO AG acted illegally, must approve fiscal note for abortion-rights ballot-Springfield News-Leader

·       ACLU takes action to force Missouri attorney general to comply with judge's order - Maryville Daily Forum

Didn't this foolish line of thought (even bad attention is good!!) previously lead Bailey into federal court for press attention, just to end up with multiple headlines showcasing the court’s smackdown of Bailey's complete ignorance of how law works?... Are we certain that Will Scharf’s people haven’t secretly infiltrated Bailey's inner circle to convince him all these hare-brained ideas are . . .

Hawley Staff Changes

Press release: U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced Sam Saffa is rejoining the Hawley office as Missouri Chief of Staff. Saffa will replace Daniel Hartman, who departs in July for a new opportunity after years of outstanding service… Senator Hawley also announced that Matt Bain and Hunter Kelly will take on new roles as deputy state directors. Bain and Kelly currently serve as district directors for the Southeast Missouri and Kansas City regions, respectively.  

New Front in Abortion Wars… Malpractice

Kaiser Health News reports that “many physicians and hospitals in the states that have restricted abortion reportedly are refusing to end the pregnancies of women facing health-threatening complications out of fear they might face criminal prosecution or loss of their medical license. Some experts predict those providers could soon face a new legal threat: medical malpractice lawsuits alleging they harmed patients by failing to provide timely, necessary abortion care.”

Read it here.

·       To some physicians and malpractice attorneys, the question is when — not if — a pregnant patient will die from lack of care and set the stage for a big-dollar wrongful death claim.

·       Some attorneys are exploring lawsuits on behalf of women who they said have been harmed by a state abortion ban. An attorney for Mylissa Farmer, a Missouri woman who was refused an abortion at two hospitals in August after her water broke about 18 weeks into her pregnancy, said she may sue for malpractice. Missouri’s abortion ban, which took effect last year, makes an exception for medical emergencies… Farmer “experienced permanent physical and emotional damage,” said Michelle Banker, one of her lawyers at the National Women’s Law Center, who added that Farmer and her attorneys are “considering all our legal options.”

Haahr Interview

Former Speaker Elijah Haahr interviewed Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s running for president against Donald Trump in the Republican primary. Listen to it here.

eMailbag on Richey Kick-off

Your blurb on Rep. Doug Richey’s state senate kickoff was a little undersold. He had 300+ real voters there. Biggest non-statewide announcement we’ve seen yet this cycle…

Lobbyists Registrations

Dena Benson-Scearce added Zoll Services, LLC.

Jay Reichard and Noel Torpey added ACT Inc.

$5K+ Contributions

American Promise PAC (pro-Malek) - $17,100 from 2S Investment, LLC.

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $50,000 from Missouri Soybean Association.

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $10,000 from POL PAC.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Kevin Engler, and Nick King.