MOScout Daily Update: Boeing Gets Active - Ross for MRP ED? - Eigel's Fundraising - Keller Backs Dinkins and more...

1 Big Thing: Boeing Gets Active

The Boeing Political Action Committee Missouri PAC, which was formed in January, didn’t make any contributions in the first quarter.  But according to its July filing, it’s started doling out money to politicos across the political spectrum…

·       The House and Senate campaign committees for both Republicans and Democrats received $4K each.

·       Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe received $1,500; Speaker Dean Plocher received $1,000.

·       Senators (Sens. Doug Beck, Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Karla Eslinger, Travis Fitzwater, Tracy McCreery, and Angela Mosley) each received $1,000.

·       Representatives (Reps. Marlon Anderson, Ashley Aune, Phil Christofanelli, Mike Haffner, Michael O’Donnell, Jon Patterson, Raychel Proudie, Alex Riley, and Travis Wilson) each received $500.

·       Local Leaders: St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, St. Louis Assessor Jake Zimmerman, St. Louis Councilwoman Rita Days, St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura Jones, St. Louis City Board of Aldermen President Megan Green, St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer, and Hazelwood Mayor Matt Robinson are received checks.

Cynics would point to the talk of new incentives for Boeing as the reason for their urgent engagement.

·       My search of the Missouri Ethics Commission contributor database couldn’t find any donations from Boeing during the election years of 2020 or 2022.

Rumorville: Ross to Take MRP Reins

Tipster says that Dennis Rhodes has stepped down as the executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, and will be joining the office of Sen. Jill Carter.

·       Rumored to be taking Rhodes place is… veteran Republican consultant Miles Ross.

Keller with Dinkins

Republican consultant Gregg Keller is apparently backing Rep. Chris Dinkins in her Senate 27 bid.  The seat will be open with Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder running for lieutenant governor.  While I expect a spirited primary, so far only Dinkins has embarked on a robust campaign.

·       Keller is the treasurer of the newly formed Red Hawk PAC which is supporting Dinkins.

Behind Eigel’s Fundraising Program

Jack Suntrup writes about Sen. Bill Eigel’s fundraising program which has drawn thousands of donors to his campaign nationwide.  It’s using Donald Trump as the means to entice contributions. Read it here.

·       In his quest for Missouri governor, state Sen. Bill Eigel has found financial support in faraway places. One of them is Salome, Arizona, an unincorporated community nearly 100 miles west of Phoenix, where Susan Comer resides.  Comer, 59, in May donated $10 to a political action committee supporting Eigel, records show.  But there’s a problem: Comer, who said she lives on a fixed income of less than $1,000 a month, reported Thursday she has never heard of Eigel and doesn’t follow Missouri politics.  “I don’t know who he is,” she told the Post-Dispatch. “I can’t afford it.”

·       The email, paid for by Eigel’s BILL PAC, solicited support for Trump, who had just been indicted for the fourth time, and asked “pro-Trump patriots” to “Stand with Trump,” sign a petition and make a donation. But the money would go to Eigel’s campaign, the email said in small type.

·       Trump’s campaign in March told 10 GOP consulting firms the former president likely wouldn’t endorse a candidate paying a digital fundraising vendor “that routinely fundraises off of his (Trump’s) name, image and likeness without his authorization,” Politico reported. Records show BILL PAC has paid one of the firms that received the letter, Arlington, Virginia-based Targeted Victory, nearly $300,000 this year for work described as consulting and project management.

·       Many of thousands of donors to Eigel’s PAC, which is allowed to coordinate fundraising efforts with his campaign, appear to be living on fixed incomes… This year, Eigel’s political action committee has raked in more than $386,000 from people who listed “retired” as their employer/occupation, records show.

·       Donors must uncheck a box to opt out of recurring donations….

August State Revenues Inch Up

August state tax receipts ended up 3.1% compared to August 2022.  Sales tax and income tax revenues were both flat, but fewer refunds delivered the positive number.

·       Fiscal-year-to-date, state revenues are still down 2%.

Why It Matters

Next week at the veto session, there may be debate about the fiscal capacity of the state. Governor Mike Parson cut about $500 million from the budget the legislature had passed, arguing that it was necessary to “ensure the financial stability.”

·       A positive August number and a negative year-to-date number will give each side a talking point.

The Philosopher Rep

It looks like a bubbling primary in House 117.  That’s the Bonne Terre district where Rep. Mike Henderson is term limited.  In addition to folks with candidate committees started – Mary Laubinger and Mike Miller – Chad Brown is off and running. 

Brown has a website – see it here – with a quote from Plato on the home page… “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

·       The website says it’s paid for by the Committee to Elect Chad Brown Representative, though the MEC website doesn’t have any such committee listed.

Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Parson’s latest appointments…

·       Cory Bomgaars, Joan Daleo, and John LaRocca were appointed to the Missouri Wine and Grape

·       Travis Freeman, and Melissa Gourley was appointed to the Missouri State University Board of Governors.

·       Dennis Hicks was appointed Eastern District Commissioner of Livingston County.

·       Rochelle Moore was appointed as the Atchison County Assessor.

·       Melissa Smith was appointed as the Scotland County Public Administrator.

Lobbyists Registrations

Maddie McMillan Green added Safer St. Louis LLC, and Altria Client Services LLC and Its Affiliates-Philip Morris USA Inc., John Middleton Co., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., and Helix Innovations, LLC.

Lynne Schlosser deleted JPMC, and Citigroup Washington Inc.

$5K+ Contributions

St. Charles Realtors PAC - $35,330 from Missouri REALTORS PAC, Inc.

Missouri Health Plan Association PAC - $25,000 from Elevance Health, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH).

Committee for Liberty (pro-Ashcroft) - $94,350 from W Mark Lanier (Houston, TX).

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Jack Danforth, Kate Casas, Lana Ladd Baker, John Gaskin III, Jenee’ Lowe, and Rachel Storch.