MOScout Weekender: House Candidate Arrested - Senate 21 Poll - Hallway on Trump - WWTW and more…
House Candidate Arrested
ComoBuz reports that the Democratic candidate for House 44 was arrested…
· Dave Raithel, 68, was arrested after an altercation with Darren Hoffman, 57, also of Columbia, about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Raithel is a candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives from District 44, which covers much of the east side of rural Boone County. He’s running unopposed in the Democrat primary. He will face the winner of the Republican primary between John Martin and Bryce Beal.
· Raithel ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2022 against the incumbent Cheri Toalson Reisch, who is term-limited and will be leaving office at the end of this year…
· A dispatch report provided by Centralia police shows officers being called at 1:19 p.m. to a disturbance at the corner of Singleton and Rollins streets in Centralia.
· CoMoBUZ reached Raithel by email Tuesday morning for comment or explanation. "You're nobody to whom I owe an explanation about anything," Raithel emailed back. "Go fuck yourself."
Hinson to CO
Washington Missourian reports that former Rep. Dave Hinson is headed to Colorado.
· “Second District Franklin County Commissioner Dave Hinson plans to resign his seat in the coming weeks to accept a job in Colorado, according to multiple sources in county government. Hinson declined to comment Friday morning, saying he would make a statement next week.”
Remington/MOScout Poll: Senate 21
Survey conducted June 5 through June 7, 2024. 384 likely 2024 Republican Primary Election voters participated in the survey. Survey weighted to match expected turnout demographics for the 2024 Republican Primary Election. Margin of Error is +/-4.96% with a 95% level of confidence. Totals do not always equal 100% due to rounding. See the full report here.
Q1: Candidates in the Republican Primary for Missouri State Senate District 21 are Kurtis Gregory and Doug Richey. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?
Kurtis Gregory: 18%
Doug Richey: 18%
Undecided: 64%
Q2: What is your opinion of Donald Trump?
Favorable: 70%
Unfavorable: 21%
No opinion: 9%
Q3: Generally speaking, do you think it’s better to expand charter school options or keep resources focused on expanding public schools?
Expand Charters: 36%
Focus on existing: 41%
Not sure: 22%
Q4: Generally speaking, should your representatives fight for Republican values even if it means gridlock, or should they be willing to compromise with Democrats in order to get something done?
Fight: 53%
Compromise: 34%
Not sure: 13%
MOScout’s Hallway Index: Trump Conviction
I asked lobbyists, “What is the impact of the Trump conviction on Missouri?” 20 replies…
RESULTS
1. Positive for Dems… 10%
2. Positive for GOP… 35%
3. No impact… 55%
Sample of Comments
· The conviction has motivated voters and donors to support Trump.
· But only a scant effect. A few independents who don’t like the idea of a convicted felon as president.
· Nothing matters anymore.
· The electorate is mostly brain-dead at this point. Might hurt a few incumbent Rs marginally in suburban swing districts, but no discernible statewide impact
· The only hope for statewide Ds is an abortion wave AND suppressed Trump turnout. This result guarantees the second part of that won’t be happening.
· Cuts both ways — May move some independents to the D side but also emboldens Trump’s base.
Who Won the Week?
Phil Christofanelli – $50,000 check from Rex Sinquefield reinforces his money lead in the Senate 23 3-way primary.
Patty Lewis – The race started with Contreras looking like a lock. But Lewis has all the momentum now. She’s pulling down endorsements, her PAC is collecting checks, she’s hitting the doors and even showed a slight lead in last week’s MOScout poll.
Vivek Malek – The enormous contributions keep coming to his PAC. Malek will have the biggest war-chest of all the down ballot candidates, and potentially be able to outspend his opponents $5 to $1.
Peter Herschend – The founder of Silver Dollar City accepts well-earned accolades after stepping down from the State Board of Education. He served an amazing 33 years on that influential body, under 8 governors.
Find a downloadable version here.
$5K+ Contributions
Gladius PAC (pro-Christofanelli) - $50,000 from Rex Sinquefield.
Committee to Elect Rick Geller Sheriff - $15,000 from Rick Geller.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom - $8,435 from American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. (New York, NY).
MO Society of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee - $12,000 from Western Anesthesiology Associates, Inc.
Physician Led Anesthesia Care PAC - $16,000 from Western Anesthesiology Associates, Inc.
Bayer US LLC Missouri PAC - $30,000 from Bayer US LLC Employee Political Action Committee.
Local 41 Political Action Fund - $16,725 from Missouri PAC Federal Committee.
Osage River Gaming and Convention - $28,502 from Bally's Corp (Providence, RI).
Osage River Gaming and Convention - $28,502 from RIS Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Tricia Workman, Stephen Webber, and Ray Wagner.
Sunday: Matthew Michelson, Kevin Stamps, and Karen Englert.