MOScout Daily Update: Bean for Floor - Kehoe PAC Latest Ad - Brown for Burger - More Farm Bureau Endorsements - Kansas Luring Chiefs? and more…

Bean for Floor

Sen. Jason Bean sent a letter to his Republican colleagues formally announcing his candidacy to be the Majority Floor Leader of the Senate.  See the letter here.  Bean started telling folks last summer that he planned to pursue this position, and so far he’s still the only declared candidate.

Key takeaways from the letter…

·       Bean vows to work the state for senators.  “If you want to be a leader inside the capitol during session, you must also be a leader outside Jefferson City during the interim. I have the energy, resources, and time to travel this state this summer and fall to assist and support our Republican caucus.”

·       Bean suggests changing the Senate’s dealings with the House.  “I would structure regular negotiations with the House to ensure Senate positions make it through the legislative process, and it is also time we leverage the House to receive the budget much earlier.”

·       Bean looks to committees to make the floor more efficient.  “We must utilize committees to do more substantive and thoughtful work on legislation, therefore reducing time on the floor fixing bills which should have already been addressed.”

Kehoe PAC: Ashcroft Lying

American Dream PAC, the pro-Mike Kehoe PAC, released a new ad yesterday. It’s the latest in the back and forth over foreign ownership of land.  See it here.

This issue polls very strongly among voters.  But everyone accusing everyone else of being “soft on China” it’s hard to imagine that the voters won’t throw their hands up in the end and have no idea who is “hardest” or “softest” on the issue.

·       The ad also calls Ashcroft a liar in no uncertain terms (“These are the facts. Another fact? Jay Ashcroft is lying about his record.”).  I would guess the attack on Ashcroft’s credibility is a big part of the Kehoe plan to puncture support for the Ashcroft name.

More Farm Bureau Endorsements

Missouri Farm Bureau announced a few more endorsements…

·       Lincoln Hough for LG.  See it here. “His work as the Chair of the Appropriations Committee has supported vital investments in our state’s infrastructure, which is key for our farmers and ranchers to provide the food, fiber and fuel necessary for our nation.”

·       Rep. Kurtis Gregory for Senate 21.  See it here. “By carrying on his family’s farm legacy, Kurtis understands first-hand the challenges that we face.”

What It Means

I’ll reiterate what I said yesterday. These endorsements carry weight in rural Missouri.  But one reader says I shouldn’t get all hot and heavy about it: Farm Bureau hasn’t endorsed the eventual winner in a truly contested race in a decade. Koster ‘16 and Hartzler ‘22 being the most prominent examples…

Brown PAC Backs Burger

Interesting to see JB PAC, associated with Sen. Justin Brown, getting involved in the Senate 27 primary.  That’s the 3-way Republican primary to replace Sen. Holly Rehder who is running for lieutenant governor.  JB PAC sent $5,000 to Bootheel Values PAC, which is supporting Rep. Jamie Burger.  

·       Burger faces Rep. Chris Dinkins, and Jacob Turner, who is thought to be a potential Freedom Caucus member should he win.

KS Makes Play for Chiefs

KCStar’s Jonathan Shorman reports that Kansas legislative leaders wrote to the Chiefs owners saying that they are “poised to present to the Chiefs with a compelling opportunity to [stay in Kansas City] with the Professional Sports Franchise STAR Bond Project set to be considered during the impending Special Legislative Session…”

·       Sen. Bill Eigel has been asking the governor to call a special session for IP Reform, but if there’s one issue that could trigger a special session, it’s losing the Chiefs.  

Sometimes A Gun Just Is a Gun

The American Journal of Mens’ Health has produced a study debunking the myth that gun ownership is related to “personal” shortcomings. “We failed to observe any differences in personal gun ownership between men who have and have not attempted penis enlargement. To our knowledge, this is the first study to formally examine the association between penis size and personal gun ownership in America. Our findings fail to support the psychosexual theory of gun ownership.”

House Primaries

House 141 – This is Rep. Hannah Kelly’s district.  She’s term limited.  There’s a 3-way primary to replace her. John Perperian is a bus driver for the Camdenton school district.  He has $10 COH.  Melissa Schmidt (see her website here) was previously a legislative assistant for Rep. Suzie Pollock.  And then there’s Zach Williams (see his Facebook here).  He’s the Wright County Presiding Commissioner, and I’m told he’s also the brother-in-law of lobbyist/former Rep. Tony Dugger.  This looks like it’s between Schmidt and Williams.  And their COH is neck-and-neck.  Schmidt has $10,728, while Williams has $10,467.

House 143 – Rep. Benni Cook (see his bio here) is running for his 3rd term and should have zero problems winning.  He faces Philip Lohmann (see his Facebook here) who ran against Cook in 2002 as part of a 3-way primary.  Cook won that with 71%; Lohmann in third place with 12.9%.

House 144 – This is the Rep. Chris Dinkins’ seat.  She’s running for state senate.  Three Republicans are vying to replace her.  Joe Loyd (see his Facebook here) owns Loyd Farms & Sawmill.  He has $1,318, with $2,500 in debt.  Tony Harbison (see his Facebook here) runs Harbison Tree Service, and was the chair of the Farm Bureau’s southeast regional PAC. He has $160 COH.  And Paul (Buck) Usher (see his website here)  started his committee after the deadline.  On LinkedIn, he is listed at the owner of Usher Properties.  Harbison is the favorite here.

House 145 – Rep. Rick Francis is termed.  Bryant Wolfin (see his website here) ran against Rep. Dale Wright in 2020, losing 58.6% - 41.4%.  I’m told he has support from the YAL crowd.  Wolfin’s COH is $14,257, with $4,802 debt.  He faces Dave Soto (see his website here), a realtor, who has a large cash advantage.  Sotos has $40,154, having given himself a $30K loan.

$5K+ Contributions

Conservative Solutions for Missouri PAC (pro-Coleman) - $25,000 from South KC Acquisitions, LLC.

Bootheel Values PAC (pro-Burger) - $5,001 from JB PAC.

A Better Missouri Political Action Committee - $10,000 from Anheuser-Busch Cos. O

Citizens To Elect Mike Kehoe - $25,000 from Mike Kehoe.

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $25,000 from GoPAC Election Fund (Arlington, VA).

Lobbyists Registrations

Ron Berry added Missouri Wellness, LLC.

Rachel Bauer added Missouri State Medical Association, Missouri State Orthopaedic Association, and Missouri Gastroenterology Society.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Colleen Coble.