MOScout Daily Update: Second Retirement System Makes Political Contribution - Quade Ad - Kunce Ad - Richey to Do No Harm and more…

Quick Friday update….

Second Retirement System Jumps Into Political Giving Game

The Prosecuting Attorneys and Circuit Attorneys Retirement System gave $50,000 to the Committee to Ensure a Future for Sheriffs & Prosecutors in support of Amendment 6 which would reinstate a $3 court fee.

This comes even as a number of politicians publicly questioned the wisdom of a similar campaign contribution from the Sheriff’s Retirement System.

Why It Matters

There’s a slippery slope here of normalizing public retirement systems contributing to political campaigns. MOSERS and LAGERS have billions in assets and could easily become influential political donors. 

·       In the words of one MOScouter: “I can see visions of dollars signs dancing in consultants’ heads when they think about this untapped gold mine”

Quade TV Ad

Minority Leader Crystal Quade is launching her first general election television commercial.  It features Republican women saying they won’t vote for Mike Kehoe because of his stance on abortion.  See the ad here.

I'm a lifelong Republican and I believe in individual freedom. During my first pregnancy I had extreme complications and needed an abortion to save my life.  This year I'm voting for Crystal Quade for governor and Amendment 3.  I voted Republican but I'm not voting for Mike Kehoe because he'll ban abortion with no exceptions for rape and incest regardless of what voters decide. Please join us and vote for Crystal Quade to make sure this cruel abortion ban is gone for good.

Kunce: I’ll Be Like Blunt

In Lucas Kunce’s latest ad, he says that Senator Josh Hawley hasn’t been bringing home federal dollars to Missouri.  And if elected, Kunce says he’ll be like former Senator Roy Blunt who was famously good at delivering federal resources to Missouri.

What It Means

Kunce (and Quade above) faced with the red Missouri votership is targeting traditional Republican voters by invoking Blunt.  He’s trying to give them a reason to cross party lines.

Richey to Do No Harm

Rep. Doug Richey, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate 21, announced on Twitter that he was joining Do No Harm as a senior fellow.

Do No Harm is fighting against “anti-racist” initiatives. We draw attention to the radical ideology of “anti-racism” in healthcare. It is increasingly embedded within medical education and training, medical research, medical practice, and medical public policy, and it’s promoting divisive and discriminatory ideas. This reality is not well-known, so we shine a light on the scale of the problem and offer concrete solutions to fix it.

·       Another senior fellow at Do No Harm is Jamie Reed, whose criticisms of the Wash U’s Transgender Center became a focal point among conservative lawmakers.

Huge Pro-Choice $$$

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign committee for the pro-choice initiative petition, took in another $3.3 million yesterday.

That brings the total large contributions recorded by that committee, since August 1, to $16.5 million!

·       During that same period the Vote “No” on 3 committee, leading the opposition, has less than $1 million ($860,000) in large contributions.

Betts Unleashed

St. Louis Public Radio reports on the final days of Sheriff Vernon Betts…

·       Betts on his successor: “When I walk out of here on the 31st of December, [...] you get your cameras and stuff ready then. You're gonna have some fun here the next year,” he said Wednesday. “I know that we're turning this department over to an idiot. He worked for me for three months. Three months he was a total idiot.”

Lobbyists Registrations

Caroline Hoover added National Association of Tobacco Outlets.

Kyna Iman added ACCEL Entertainment Gaming LLC; and deleted J & J Ventures.

Will Marrs and Kelli Richardson added Missouri Public Health Association.

Brent Stewart deleted Missouri Energy Development Association.

$5K+ Contributions

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $2,750,000 from Our American Future Action (Washington, DC).

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $500,000 from Planned Parenthood Action Fund (New York, NY).

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $100,000 from Action St. Louis Power Project, Inc.

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $100,000 from Sports Betting Alliance (Lubbock, TX).

American Dream PAC - $75,000 from Evergy Metro Inc.

American Dream PAC - $20,000 from RAI Service Company (Salem, NC).

American Dream PAC - $10,000 from Missouri Health Plan Association PAC.

American Dream PAC - $10,000 from JE Dunn Construction Company.

American Dream PAC - $10,000 from Northland Strong PAC.

American Dream PAC - $10,000 from Parents for Safer Streets PAC.

Ready to Lead (pro-Lewis) - $7,600 from Paladin PAC.

Committee to Ensure a Future for Sheriffs & Prosecutors - $50,000 from Prosecuting Attys and Circuit Attys Retirement System.

Yes on 5 - $85,604 from Bally's Corp (Providence, RI).

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $5,200 from Missourians for Shields.

Missouri Right to Life PAC - $10,000 from James Young.

Missouri Heritage PAC LLC - $25,000 from Rick Brown.

MCC Works for Platte County - $10,000 from Heavy Constructors Association.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Reps. Jamie Ray Gragg and Deb Lavender, Jay Hardenbrook, Jeanne Kirkton, and Jamala Rogers.

Saturday: Rep. Rick Francis, Alexandria Cypert, Ken Menges, Jeff Mazur, Jason Chipman, Mavis Busiek, and Charles Schlottach.

Sunday: Rep. Hardy Billington, Larry Pleus, John Mayfield, Mike Dauphin, and Linda Black Thomure.

Monday: Jeremy LaFaver, and Casey Guersey.

MOScout Schedule

I’m off for the long week (state offices closed on Monday for Columbus Day). See you in your in-box Tuesday morning!