MOScout Daily Update: Scharf and the Trump Verdict - GOPers Echo Trump Jury Attacks - AGC for Hough - house Primaries and more…
Quick Friday update…
Scharf Scoops Up Free Media
President Donald Trump conviction yesterday of falsifying business records hijacked all other political discussions. As Trump has done so often in the past eight years, he commanded everyone’s attention. And Republican Will Scharf – running for attorney general – was right there, scooping up the free media.
One MOScouter: “Scharf front and center following the verdict. No amount of money can buy this kind of exposure.”
I know some folks think that Trump losing would be bad for Scharf – that he’d be seen as letting Trump down, or Trump himself would “turn on” his attorney. But this is Scharf’s biggest selling point (his closeness with Trump) and it’s just getting bigger.
· I’m moving him to the #1 slot in the MOScout PowerRankings.
Statewide GOP Candidates Echo Trump’s “Rigged” Attack
Just as many Republican candidates have gotten used to saying that America’s free elections are “rigged,” so now, they’re echoing Trump’s same claim about jury trials.
Governor
SOS Jay Ashcroft: “The democrats are trying to steal another election. This lawfare must not stand.”
Sen. Bill Eigel: “The president has done nothing wrong. These charges are absolutely false.”
LG Mike Kehoe: “This entire trial was a political stunt and a complete weaponization of our judicial system.”
Lieutenant Governor
Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder: “This verdict is a product of a biased system manipulated by those who fear the power and influence of the MAGA movement.”
David Wasinger: “The real verdict will be in November when we take back our country.”
Treasurer
Treasurer Vivek Malek: “A politically-motivated trial returned a politically-motivated verdict meant solely to interfere with an election that the left knows Joe Biden isn’t capable of winning.”
Rep. Cody Smith: “The left will stop at nothing to stay in power.”
Secretary of State
Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman: “This kangaroo court nonsense will not stand.”
Sen. Denny Hoskins: “I stand with President Trump!”
Speaker Dean Plocher: “This decision is a disgrace to the rule of law and our Constitution.”
Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller: “The weaponization of the law by this partisan prosecutor in this conviction against President Donald Trump is a dark day for this country.”
Attorney General
AG Andrew Bailey: “An illicit, witch-hunt prosecution against President Trump has resulted in an illegal conviction.”
Will Scharf: “Joe Biden and his allies have weaponized our legal system to persecute their principal political opponent.”
AGC Endorses Hough
Press release: The Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) announced that it is endorsing Lincoln Hough, Missouri State Senator (R-District 30), for Lieutenant Governor in the upcoming Republican Primary race. This is only the second time in the association’s 99-year history that it has endorsed a candidate for statewide office…
“Sen. Hough understands the critical role infrastructure plays in Missouri’s economy and quality of life,” said Leonard Toenjes, CAE, AGCMO’s president. “In 2023 he played a pivotal role in passage of the historic $2.8 billion to rebuild and expand I-70, $64 million for low volume and minor roads, and $20 million for an I-44 Environmental Impact Study… With his financial know-how and legislative experience, we believe he would be an excellent choice to help lead Missouri into the future as our next Lt. Governor.”
House Primaries
As I summarize the House primaries, I’m adding them to the 2024 Watch…
House 103 – It’s a strange thing. Three Democrats running in this O’Fallon House seat that’s occupied by Republican Rep. Dave Hinman. I can’t see why there’d be such a fuss among Dems. This looks like a safe GOP seat. Trump won it by 18% 2020. The Dems are: Lizz Callahan (see her website here, $5,100 COH), Angelica Earl (see her Facebook here, $93 COH), and Amanda Taylor (see her website here, $1,270 COH with $500 in debt).
House 104 – This the St. Charles Christofanelli district. Terri Violet is a former alderwoman and Navy veteran. See her website here. She’s considered the favorite here, and has more cash on-hand ($10,620 versus $4,078) than her opponent, Jeremy Lloyd (see his website here) He’s an editor at Child Evangelism Fellowship and has the endorsement of former Sen. Bob Onder.
House 108 – This is the Justin Hicks district. He’s vacated the seat to run for congress. There are two Republicans running. One of them, Max Calfo (see his website here) has sparred with Hicks in the court over old court records of Hicks. Now he’s trained his sights on his new opponent, Mike Costlow, a Dardenne Prairie alderman. On Calfo’s Facebook page he’s linked to a decades-old arrest of Costlow from his much younger days when he was running some kind of a paint gun scam. One consultant quipped that Calfo should dropout and start an oppo research firm!
House 109 – It’s rematch time in Franklin County. In 2022, Rep. Kyle Marquart (see his bio here) bested then-Rep. John Simmons in a squeaker. Marquart took 48.6% to Simmons’ 46.1% with a third candidate slicing off another 5%. Simmons (see his website here) is back now looking to reverse that outcome. He has a nice war-chest ($45,851 COH) which far exceeds Marquart’s ($11,389). Still the odds are that Marquart holds.
eMailbag: Never-ending 340B Debate
For 3 straight years, the language in SB 751 was removed from the omnibus bills at the behest of the Pharmacy Association to keep PhRMA from opposing. That is a fact. That is another distortion from the proponents… But appreciate MoScout creating more policy debate than what incurred in the capitol…
$5K+ Contributions
Southern Drawl PAC (pro-Rehder) - $15,000 from Howard Wood.
Missouri Democratic State Committee - $10,000 from UFCW Local 655 Elect Club.
Protect Missouri Workers PAC - $25,000 from Simmons Hanly Conroy (Alton, IL).
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $20,000 from Robert Brinkmann.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $10,000 from Walmart (Bentonville, AR).
Lobbyists Registrations
Gamble & Schlemeier added Fox Smith, LLC.
Doug Stone deleted BVM Platt City LLC, and Raven Resources Corp.
Ron Berry deleted Tier One Tactical Solutions, LLC.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Joan Barry and Ethan Todd.