MOScout Daily Update: 2024 Elections Loom Over Senate - More on Sports Betting - Judicial Commission Meets - HBS Hires and more...

1 Big Thing: 2024 Elections Loom Over Next Senate

The 2024 elections will loom over the state senate during this coming year.  Not only are their likely five Republican Senators running for statewide office (Eigel for gov, Thompson Rehder for LG, Rowden and Hoskins for SOS, and Koenig for Treasurer), it looks like there will primaries in every Republican seat.

It’s hard to imagine a unified Republican Senate Caucus pursuing compromise on tough policy issues among the varied electoral agendas.

Here are some rumors of potential primary challenges against sitting Republican incumbents.

·       Senate 25 – Sen. Jason Bean has been mentioned as a possible statewide candidate.  But with Pro Tem Caleb Rowden back in the mix for secretary of state, folks see Bean running for re-election – and perhaps floor leader as well.  However, there’s been more buzz about the likelihood of a primary challenge from former Rep. Jeff Shawan.  Shawan lost to Bean in a 3-way in 2020.  But if it’s a one-on-one, Shawan puts in his own money again, and exploits “bad” votes by Bean, does that change the outcome this time?

·       Senate 29 – There are no names yet to take on Sen. Mike Moon, but one Republican tells me he’ll be surprised if someone doesn’t emerge.  He sees plenty of folks with a motive to take out the most troublesome troublemaker in the Senate, and the redistricting seat had a population center in Christian County.  Find the right candidate there, and Moon could be in trouble himself.

·       Senate 31 – One tidbit emerging from the recent Republican Summer Caucus was the rumor that Rep. Dan Houx is a potential challenger to Sen. Rick Brattin.  Houx is a potent fundraiser and would be a serious threat to Brattin.

·       Senate 33 – Sen. Karla Eslinger may get a pass, but one rumor is that Rep. Brad Hudson is eying running against her. We’ll see how things shape up there.

What It Means

This political landscape would seem ripe for more situations in which consensus pieces of legislation find a wedge amendment added in order to elicit a recorded vote that can be used as a campaign attack.

I expect pessimism to run high ahead of next legislative session.

Driving the Day: Judicial Commission Meets

The Appellate Judicial Commission finishes interviewing candidates for the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, today.  They expect to meet afterwards, with an announcement of the panel expected in the late afternoon.

One savvy observer says he expects one candidate from St. Louis City, one from St. Louis County and one from outside of the metro area, guessing that Judge Chris Limbaugh will be in that mix.

And, the word is that Governor Mike Parson will announce picks for both Supreme Court and Court of Appeals at the same time.

We’ll see…

More on Sports Betting

One lobbyist with a ringside view to the sports betting / VLT fight weighs in on the state of affairs…

·       VLTs = Casino Killer: You are correct, the sensible deal does not work because casinos do not want to lose revenue to legalized VLT market. They will.

·       Grays = No Cap: Illegal machines have re-entered the Illinois market. You cannot say a cap of 10k machines will be 10k machines.

·       No Groundswell for VLTs: The VLT amendment offered by Sen. Nick Schroer only got 11 votes. The proposal was as limited as one can go… the House sponsor (Bill Hardwick) did not have support to move a VLT bill (with sports betting included) out of the committee he chairs.

HBS Hires Up

Press release: The Husch Blackwell Strategies office in Jefferson City, Missouri is adding more top talent to its team of public policy advisors as Deputy Attorney General for Policy Maddie McMillian Green and experienced advocate Olivia Wilson join the firm as Principals. Both have earned widespread respect across Missouri with deep expertise and successful track records in their respective fields.

·       Green recently served as Deputy Attorney General for Policy in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office … She earlier worked with the Governor’s Cabinet and the state’s 16 executive departments to help make government more responsive to the people as she served as special assistant to the state’s Chief Operating Officer.

·       Olivia Wilson recently served as a lobbyist for the government relations firm Gamble & Schlemeier.

eMailbag House Republicans

The ‘old men’ prefer to be referred to as “gray hair” or “life experience” caucus.

Lobbyists Registrations

Maddie McMillan Green and Olivia Wilson added Husch Blackwell Strategies and University of Missouri System.

Olivia Wilson deleted clients of Gamble & Schlemeier.

$5K+ Contributions

MoCannTrade PAC - $6,000 from Tania Conte.

HealthPAC - $9,500 from SWMO Healthcare Committee.

WPG PAC - $8,000 from Winton Policy Group LLC.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Jack Atterberry, and Robin Smith.