MOScout Daily Update: GOP Hits Pereles on “Lawlessness” - Hamm Backs Pereles - McGaugh To Admin Committee - Sheriff Contribution and more…

Senate 15 Gets Hot

The Senate Republicans’ campaign committee, Missouri Senate Campaign Committee, unveiled a humdinger of a negative ad against Joe Pereles.  It’s a play on Law and Order, tying Pereles to Cori Bush and resurrecting the “defund the police” slogan, calling it Lawless and Disorder.  This is the obvious play for Republicans as Pereles doesn’t have a voting record. Still, it looks like an effective ad to me.

Meanwhile

The Pereles campaign released a commercial with a little star power.  St. Louis native Jon Hamm narrates their latest commercial which hits David Gregory on his abortion stance while extolling Pereles’ virtues.  See it here.

Some guys create disasters.  Others clean them up. David Gregory wrote Missouri’s near total abortion ban, taking away a woman's right to make her own medical decisions - with no exceptions for rape or incest.  And after Gregory punished women, he wants a promotion.  Joe Pereles spent his career building hotels, creating jobs.  As a volunteer leader with the Red Cross, Pereles helps families rebuild from disaster.  Less extremism, more common sense.

But

Maybe the biggest news in Senate 15 yesterday was the $350,000 check that the Pereles PAC (Fearless PAC) recorded.  It was from Missouri Voter Project - State PAC which is funded mostly by labor organizations and the Missouri Wins Investor Network.

$350K is a fat chunk of dough.  And it’s a sign that this is going to be the most expensive state senate race in the state this cycle.

Missouri Wins Investor Network

MOWIN is part of a network of organizations working to build an infrastructure for progressive candidates and causes in Missouri.  

McGaugh to Chair Admin and Accts

Rep. Peggy McGaugh is being tapped to chair Administration and Accounts.  She’ll take over for Rep. Dale Wright who previously chaired the committee, but was hapless in the swirl of trouble over Speaker Dean Plocher’s double-dipping scandal.  McGaugh previously chaired the Elections Committee.

·       Administration and Accounts assigns office, chamber seats and parking spaces, and deals with the members’ office funds.

Sheriffs’ Retirement System Gives to Campaign

Earlier this month the Sheriffs Retirement System made a $30,000 contribution to the Committee to Ensure a Future for Sheriffs & Prosecutors.  That’s the campaign committee supporting the passage of Amendment 6 which would reinstate a $3 court fee to benefit sheriffs.

While Amendment 6 is undeniably in the Sheriffs’ best interest, it’s still surprising to see a public employee retirement system making a political contribution.

It seems like it could open a whole new bag of worms.  Consider if MOSERS or LAGERS took this approach with their much larger resources and decided it was in their pensioners’ best interest to back candidates supportive of certain policies.  It’d be opening floodgates to new political players that most people probably think shouldn’t be playing politics.

Sauls B-Roll

Enjoy a few minutes of Robbie Sauls silently nodding, laughing and discussing issues.

New PACs

Bryan Cave LLP Political Fund was formed.

Lobbyists Registrations

Ryan DeBoef added Council of Churches of the Ozarks, Inc.

Jay Hahn added LEO Technologies.                         

Shawn Rhoads added Equifax.

$5K+ Contributions

Fearless PAC (pro-Pereles) - $325,000 from Missouri Voter Project - State PAC.

Missouri Voter Project - State PAC - $50,000 from Missouri Jobs for Justice Action.

Independence Leadership PAC (pro-Sauls) - $10,000 from Mo Fund Drive.

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $10,000 from Rudy Farber.

American Dream PAC - $7,000 from ASA Midwest PAC.

NEMO Leadership PAC (pro-O’Laughlin) - $10,000 from Missouri Soybean Assn.

Great Northwest PAC (pro-Rusty Black) - $10,000 from Jennifer Monheiser.

Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages (minimum wage IP) - $14,568 from Sixteen Thirty Fund (Washington, DC).

Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages - $14,568 from The Fairness Project (Washington, DC).

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom (pro-choice IP) - $13,748 from American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. (New York, NY).

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $10,693 from American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc. (New York, NY).

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $12,450 from Friends of Ben Keathley.

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $15,000 from Friends of Ben Keathley.

Another Viceroy PAC - $25,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of Missouri.

Missouri Enterprise Fund - $5,001 from Another Viceroy PAC.

Protect Saint Louis Freedom - $10,000 from MHS Trust DTD.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Cody Smith, Caroline Pelot, Claire Cook-Callen, and Lewis Reed.