MOScout Daily Update: Rex Watch - Koenig Kick-off - Greitens Again - Justice to CRRD and more...
1 Big Thing: SinqueWatch
The next six months of the Republican statewide primary races will likely focus on fundraising. And one question to answer is: Where will Rex be?
Republican mega-donor Rex Sinquefield and his family are one of the top political donors in the state. With David Humphreys withdrawn from politics, and the Herzog legacy focused on education policy, the Sinquefields are nearly in a class of their own, matched only perhaps by interest groups like the trial attorneys or the labor unions.
Here’s where TeamSinque appears to be in each statewide race…
· Governor’s race: Although Sinquefield has given hefty donations to Sen. Bill Eigel before, he’s clearly with Mike Kehoe in the governor’s race. Sinquefield sent $250K to Kehoe’s PAC in 2021 and again in 2022.
· LG’s race: Sinquefield has given to Speaker Dean Plocher’s PAC. But I wonder whether the LG’s race will merit a substantial investment given all the other races on the ballot.
· AG’s race: Team Sinquefield is with Andrew Bailey. They gave $50K to the Bailey PAC last quarter.
· SOS’ race: The assumption would have been that Sinquefield would have supported Sen. Caleb Rowden. With Rowden seemingly passing on the race, Shane Schoeller and Sen. Denny Hoskins can make their case. Or Sinquefield might sit it out, or wait to see if another candidate emerges.
· Treasurer’s race: In the past Sinquefield has given to both Sen. Andrew Koenig and Rep. Cody Smith. My guess here is that we’ll see support go to Koenig. His record championing and advance education reform and tax cuts have been at the heart of the Sinquefield agenda throughout the years.
Koenig Kick-Off
Sen. Andrew Koenig launched his formal kick-off yesterday with a round of press…
His website got an upgrade. See it here. It now lists his platform…
· Oppose corporate handouts to billionaires and big businesses
· Remove barriers to adoption and assist families looking to adopt children in need
· Foster a pro-business environment to secure a strong economy
· Eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in state government
And he held a kick-off fundraising event in Kirkwood…
Meanwhile
In the Senate 15 race to replace Koenig, Gregg Palermo reports that Democrat Joe Pereles won’t be self-funding. I had guessed otherwise when I mentioned him as a possible candidate weeks ago.
Eigel Schwag Drops “Exploratory”
Sen. Bill Eigel tweets that he just got 1000 new t-shirts for our campaign and none of them say “exploratory”!
Greitens Resurfaces
Former governor Eric Greitens popped up online yesterday with a piece for The National Pulse, cheering Donald Trump and saying that Ron DeSantis won’t win. Read it here.
It’s the first time Greitens has made any sort of public statement since his loss last summer in the US Senate primary.
Folks – myself included – thought maybe we’d seen the last of him since his political career unraveled and his comeback failed. But maybe be still has the itch. Maybe he imagines a spot in a second Trump Administration? We’ll see…
Justice to CRRD
On Facebook, Southeast Republican powerbroker Eddy Justice’s bio now lists something new: Commissioner at Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline.
And indeed, he shows up on that commission’s webpage. See it here.
An independent state agency responsible for investigating complaints against judges on the Supreme Court, court of appeals, circuit and associate circuit courts, and municipal courts as well as members of the state's judicial nominating commissions that fill vacancies on courts governed by the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan…
The commission has authority to investigate complaints involving the following:
· Willful misconduct in office.
· Willful and persistent failure to perform duties.
· Habitual intemperance (e.g. alcohol or drug abuse).
· Permanent disabilities that interfere with judicial duties.
· A violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct.
· Conduct that brings the judiciary into disrepute.
The commission's primary concern is judicial behavior, not judicial decision-making.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. David Tyson Smith, Charlie Shields, Jay Atkins, and Megan-Ellyia Green.