MOScout Daily Update: Quade Dividends? - MSMA Hires 2024 Team - Hawley's $$$ - May to Announce - Realtors for Kelly and more...

1 Big Thing: Quade Dividends?

Minority Leader Crystal Quade’s gubernatorial bid is expected to dovetail nicely with Missouri Dems’ efforts to make legislative gains in 2024.

House Dems are aiming to continue their streak from last cycle, and pick up another three or four seats.  They won’t be swinging for the fences’ they’ll be targeting suburban, flappable districts.  Ones where…

·       Trump’s negatives are high.

·       There are troves of college-educated women who reject the GOP’s abortion policy as extreme.

Those same swing suburban district women will likely identify more with Quade – and her message – than Jay Ashcroft, who most Dems expect to be the Republican nominee.

But…

Some Dems fret about how the rest of the statewide ticket will shape up; they long for some party discipline that will recruit candidate which reinforce the Quade message.

First in MOScout: MSMA Hires Up

The Missouri State Medical Association is rounding out its government relations team ahead of next session.  Joining will be…

·       Rachel Bauer, who’s staffed legislators on both the House and Senate side, and is currently Director of Policy with the Missouri Lottery.

·       Jacob Scott, most recently chief of staff to Sen. Bill Eigel.  He won’t be lobbying because of Clean Missouri revolving door restrictions, instead doing some strategic consulting.

They join the MSMA’s current contract lobbyists: Rich AuBuchon, Deanna Hemphill, and Trent Watson.  All under the direction of MSMA’s EVP Jeff Howell.

Driving the Day: May to Announce

Sen. Karla May will formally announce for US Senate today (3PM) in downtown St. Louis.  See the press advisory here.

“With an unwavering commitment to advocating for the people and a proven track record of legislative accomplishments, Senator May brings a fresh perspective and bold vision to the race.”

Meanwhile

Team Hawley, probably watching the emerging Democratic scrum with some amusement, crows that they’ll have plenty of funds to spend next summer. “Political committees supporting the re-election of Senator Josh Hawley raised more than $3 million for the second fundraising quarter. The committees include Josh Hawley For Senate, Josh Hawley Victory Committee Victory and The Show-Me Strong PAC, which is unaffiliated with the Hawley campaign committee.  The Hawley campaign committee and the associated joint fundraising committee will report raising $1.9M for the second quarter with $4.6M cash-on-hand. There were more than 39,000 donations made to the two committees and the average donation size was $48.58. The Show-Me Strong PAC publicly reported raising a total of $1.186M.”

·       Show-Me Strong PAC was powered by Missouri’s uber-donors: August Busch III ($250K), Robert Low ($250K), Gerald Cook ($100K), and Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield ($100K)

eMailbag: Too Early To Prognosticate

I don’t think it’s fair to say next session is already doomed by cultural issues. Cultural issues change rapidly. The Senate passed a bill banning CRT and giving parents a bill of rights very early in session. The House never even brought it up and hardly anyway talked about it. Everything was DEI at the end of session which no one mentioned before session.

Realtors for Kelly

Interesting to see the Realtors send a large contribution to Esther PAC which is allied with Rep. Hannah Kelly.  She’s term limited in her current House seat, but perhaps looking at another position? 

We’ll see…

Bosley Fundy

Rep. LaKeySha Bosley hold a fundraiser tonight at the MAC’s west clubhouse (5:30PM).

The host committee includes: Sen. Karla May, Tracy McCreery, and Reps. Marlon Anderson, Peter Merideth, and Steve Butz, along with brother Freeman Bosley Jr., St. Louis City’s first African American mayor.
See the flyer here.

Lobbyists Registrations

David Sweeney added Twain Financial Partners.

$5K+ Contributions

Esther PAC (pro-Kelly) - $5,100 from Missouri Realtors PAC Inc.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Keri Ingle, Wayne Wallingford, Claudia Sands, and Mary Ellen Ponder.