MOScout Daily Update: O’Laughlin Reflects on Senate - MRL Shakes Fist - Bell 4Q # - Hough Eyes LG and more…
O’Laughlin Reflects
In an email update to her constituents, Senate Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin reflects on the Senate’s breakdown and her part in it. Here are some excerpts (read the full email here)…
· Some days I feel I’ve been turned loose in a nightmare where all the adults turn into children. The children then take over and of course are all screaming and throwing tantrums to get what they want. This is happening throughout the country and it is happening in the Missouri Senate where I’m supposed to be a voice of reason and compromise; helping get Republican priorities accomplished…
· Last week was another week of hyperbole, character assassination, and in general over the top antics designed to draw attention to real or perceived slights to ourselves. I say ourselves because after being accused of being a horrid leader in a public way I responded in kind. After hearing I should “resign because I am a part of the swamp” I responded (indirectly) that the accusing senator should keep in mind he could be removed permanently by a vote of 23 senators. This was a childish reaction on my own part and as I think over the last few weeks I realize the only thing I can control is myself. So I am going to resolve to do better. There is no effort to remove anyone from the senate and to suggest it even in a joking manner was stupid. So from here on I’m going to double down on adulting and be sure I engage my brain before speaking…
· We have a new week beginning Monday and to the extent possible I’m going to renew my efforts to bring people together and remember we are all there for a very limited time… I am hoping for a better week this week and will do what I can to achieve the important legislative goals we’ve set for our state…
I haven’t picked up on anyone optimistic that the recent freeze in the Senate will be thawing soon. But the Senate Elections Committee will hear a dozen Republican proposals to change the initiative petition process today. So perhaps that progress will mollify the Freedom Caucus. We’ll see…
Missouri Right to Life Reflects
Meanwhile, here’s Missouri Right to Life’s recent email blast offering its take on the Senate situation.
Missouri Right to Life Stands with the Freedom Caucus
On January 18th Senators Denny Hoskins, Andrew Koenig, Rick Brattin and Bill Eigel bravely stood on the Senate floor and unapologetically advocated for the passage of legislation on Initiative Petition reform.
But instead of facilitating this vital pro-life legislation, which is also part of the Republican Party platform, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden and Senate Majority Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin called these four senators “swamp creatures”, stripped them of committee positions and even took away their parking spots.
For Senate leaders Rowden and O’Laughlin to strip four true conservative Senior Senators from their ability to serve their districts of 174,000 people as chairman of committees is petty, vindictive, and is the epitome of an abuse of power.
Senators Rowden and O’Laughlin are continuing a trend over the past five years of Senate leadership failing to create unity in the Senate. They have progressively stood against all conservative legislation that is set forth in the Republican Party platform while they have stalled out pro-life legislation, such as defunding Planned Parenthood and Initiative Petition reform. They have succumbed to lobbyists big money that say, “having no bill is better than a bill with pro-life language.”
If the pro-life priorities that are set forth in the Republican Party platform do not pass and Missouri enshrines abortion in our state constitution, rest assured that the fate of thousands of unborn children will lay at the feet of Senate leadership.
· One building denizen points out that in addition to coming dangerously close to accusing Sens. Rowden and O’Laughlin of taking bribes (“They have succumbed to lobbyists big money”), MRL incredibly ignores their #1 priority of all time / reason for being (“Senators Rowden and O’Laughlin are continuing a trend over the past five years of Senate leadership failing to create unity in the Senate”) HB 126, the trigger law that outlawed abortions in Missouri, was passed in 2019.
First in MOScout: Bell Numbers
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell will announce today that he raised $492,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023. Bell’s total raised for the congressional campaign is now more than $600,000.
Bell’s primarying Congresswoman Cori Bush in the First Congressional District. Bush’s fundraising has been lackluster. Last quarter she reported $10,847 cash on-hand with $129,941 in debt. We’ll see if the prospect of a credible challenger has sparked more serious fundraising from her this quarter.
· Bush also has garnered the opposition of third-party PACs, like AIPAC.
Hough and LG
The Springfield Daily Citizen gets Sen. Lincoln Hough on the record saying he’s seriously looking at Lieutenant Governor. See it here.
· “We’ve been kind of putting things in place, such that if the field changes on this lieutenant governor’s race, or if we decide that’s where I ultimately want to end up, that we’ve got the resources we need or at least are putting them together to make that happen,” Hough said.
· “When you are the guy that the administration goes to to get things done, and you are the guy in the Senate who can say… ‘My name is on the tax cut bill that cut the largest amount of income taxes in the state’s history, all while making investments, rebuilding I-70 and 250 bridges around the state,’” Hough said. “We’ve got a pretty good track record to run on.”
Candidate filing opens February 27 and closes March 26.
$5K+ Contributions
Landon McCarter for SPS School Board - $7,500 from Jared Outdoor, LLC.
Lobbyist Registrations
Nexus Group added HSUS.
Jon Hensley added Safer St. Louis, LLC.
Catalyst added Veterans Guardian - VA Claim Consulting.
Jay Reichard added Promontory 150 LLC c/o Platform Ventures, LLC.
Gamble & Schlemeier deleted City of Warrenton.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Alan Gray, Tommie Pierson Sr., Craig Redmon, Brian Schmidt, Wayne Bledsoe, and Karen Buschmann.