MOScout Daily Update: Herzog Sends $100K to Willett - Carpenters Back McCreery - Williams Adds $100K to PAC - Dem Enters CD-2 - Garrison Registers and more…
Money Notes
Yesterday was the last day of the quarter, so it’s a long list of big checks that were recorded by PACs to beef up their October reports. There should be a fair amount that trickle in today and tomorrow as well. Of note…
· Speaker Jon Patterson – His PAC showed over $175,000 in contributions yesterday. But most importantly, he’s not starting from scratch. His PAC had the third highest cash on-hand figure in the state going into this quarter with over $1.1 million. Patterson is teed up to run for Sen. Mike Cierpiot’s seat.
· Carpenters’ Union – They sent $50,000 to Democratic Sen. Tracy McCreery’s PAC one day after Republican Sen. Nick Schroer’s PAC showed a $50,000 check. It shows their willingness to find allies on both sides of the aisle.
· Joe Steelman – Running in Senate 16 to replace Sen. Justin Brown, Steelman landed a $50,000 check from LITC developer Jeffrey Smith.
· Nathan Willett – With Rep. Brenda Shields dropping out, Willett’s PAC landed a huge check ($100,000) from Herzog Construction, consolidating support and becoming the clear front-runner here.
· Sen. Brian Williams – His STL CO PAC brought in another $100,000 as he seeks to extend his fundraising lead over Sam Page and freeze out other potential opponents in the St. Louis County Executive race.
· Rep. Brad Christ – His PAC brought in $40,000 more. I think his fundraising success gives him the edge in the floor leader race at this point.
White Recalled
KMBC reports that “Jackson County voters have decisively removed County Executive Frank White Jr. from office, ending his nine years in power with a landslide recall election. White, a Kansas City Royals legend who became county executive in 2016, struggled to gain even 20% of the vote. With nearly all precincts reporting, the final tally showed an 85–15 split in favor of his removal.”
Why It Matters
White is a victim of the property tax assessment backlash that has gripped Jackson County. It shows how potent the property issue is.
Breaking… Dem in CD-2
Press release: Fred Wellman, a retired U.S. Army aviator, Missouri native, and host of the ‘On Democracy’ podcast on the MeidasTouch Network, formally announced his candidacy today for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District. A Kirkwood native, Wellman served for more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, completing four combat tours, and built a successful business advocating for veterans before returning home to continue his commitment to public service in Missouri.
Brookings on School Spending
Brookings Institution looks at the correlation between spending and student achievement. It’s an important topic because each year I hear some Republican lawmakers, exasperated by higher asks from school districts, throw their hands up with a simple: can’t just throw money at the problem.
The study does a good job of looking at the issue from different angles, and concludes that while there’s a bump in achievement with funding it’s not as large as one would expect.
Data Center Cost
Bloomberg reports that energy prices are rising near data center hubs
A Bloomberg News investigation has found that wholesale power now costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data hubs. That hike is passed on to households and businesses, on top of charges to upgrade overburdened grids. But because those networks cover whole states or regions, consumers who don’t live near data centers can also be affected…
Globally, BNEF expects data hubs to consume more than 4% of electricity by 2035. To put it another way: If the facilities were a country, they’d rank fourth in power demand, behind only China, America and India.
Why It Matters
This is a great concern for some politicians as they weigh whether data center developments are a net positive for their communities.
Lobbyist Registrations
Claudia Alley added Gateway Early Childhood Alliance.
Dan Stuart added Liberty Action.
Bill Gamble, Kathryn Gamble, and Jack Gamble added Emergent BioSolutions Inc.
Timothy Allen Garrison added Missouri Office of Prosecution Services, and Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
Darrell Moore terminated his registration.
Sarah Felts terminated her registration.
Fred Dreiling deleted Burns & McDonnell Engineering.
$5K+ Contributions
Missouri Alliance PAC (pro-Patterson) - $50,000 from MO Law Enforcement for Good Government.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $25,000 from Paul Vogel.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $20,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming LLC.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $17,600 from MO Hospital Assoc.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $15,000 from Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $12,600 from MOCANN Trade PAC.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $10,000 from MO Realtors PAC.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $6,000 from Anesthesia Associates of KC (Overland Park, KS).
Missouri Alliance PAC - $6,000 from Western Anesthesiology Assoc.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $5,100 from St. Louis County Police Assoc PAC.
NextGen North PAC (pro-Willett) - $100,000 from Herzog Contracting Corp.
NextGen North PAC - $15,000 from Heavy Constructors Association.
Serve Missouri PAC (pro-McCreery) - $50,000 from Mid America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.
Steel Resolve PAC (pro-Steelman) - $50,000 from Jeffrey Smith.
STLCO PAC (pro-Brian Williams) - $50,000 from Eric Holland.
STLCO PAC - $50,000 from Robert Blitz.
Real Action PAC (pro- Christ) - $25,000 from Shamrock PAC.
Real Action PAC - $10,000 from Anheuser Busch Companies.
Real Action PAC - $5,500 from Uniting Missouri PAC.
Show Me Growth PAC (pro-David Gregory) - $12,500 from MOCANN Trade PAC.
Show Me Growth PAC - $5,100 from St. Louis County Police Association.
417 PAC (pro-Trent) - $7,500 from MOCS Action.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Sen. Sandy Crawford, Reps. Jo Doll and Melanie Stinnett, Andy Arnold, Kristy Manning, and Steve Kraske.