MOScout Daily Update: White House ‘Urging’ New MO Map? - Big Checks from Rook, Bowman - Houx Registers - Meet SoyFoam and more…

Punchbowl: White House ‘Urging’ Redistricting

Punchbowl reports that “President Donald Trump’s political team is urging Republicans to redraw Missouri’s congressional map to net a seat by targeting Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.”

·       “The president’s team is serious about it,” said Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.), who was at the White House on Tuesday night celebrating the OBBB’s passage. “I think they’re giving it a fair amount of thought.”

·       “There are some things that no one, no matter how powerful or how important they are, can move through the Missouri Senate,” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) said.

·       What’s changed now? Trump. There may not be much appetite among some state legislators to redraw mid-decade — there wasn’t in Texas either — but it’s hard to imagine them resisting a direct request from the president.

And

One MOScouter slyly suggests that there are “very few coincidences in Jeff City,” and notes that Lou Capozzi, Andrew Bailey’s new Solicitor General, specializes in, and is passionate about, election law.

What It Means

As I wrote yesterday, a mid-decade redistricting push would obliterate chances of a productive next session.

·       And – it’s not as easy as it sounds.  Redistricting takes a great deal of time and effort.  Republican congressmen and women are famously difficult to unite around a new map, as each has their own parochial demands.  Would the potential prize of keeping the majority be enough to induce them to play nice?

Rook, Bowman Add $$$

The 2026 cycle is in full swing.  In yesterday’s large contributions (below) there were two more self-funding check hitting…

·       Lori Rook – taking on Sen. Curtis Trent in Senate 20 – anted $100,000 into her campaign. That’s a good start.  Trent reported $119K in his candidate committee and $231K in his PAC last quarter.

·       John Bowman – running in Senate 14 where Sen. Brian Williams is termed – seeded his campaign with a $20,000 check.  That puts him level with Rep. Raychel Proudie’s $22K on-hand, and ahead of Shaunte Duncan’s $11K.  Joe Palm has not yet started his engine ($0 COH).

Houx Registers

Dan Houx is that latest former legislator to register as a lobbyist…

Bailey Sues Planned Parenthood

Attorney General Andrew Bailey again sued Planned Parenthood.  This time for allegedly making false claims about the safety of mifepristone.  See the suit here.

·       Planned Parenthood tells Missourians that the abortion pill is “safer than many other medicines like penicillin, Tylenol, and Viagra.” That is brazenly false…

·       Planned Parenthood’s statements are outright false, and at the very least unlawfully misleading, for a variety of reasons: The rate of emergency room visits is much higher for the abortion pill than the drugs Planned Parenthood cites as comparators…

·       [T]wo-thirds of all abortions occur by pill, a significant increase from 2017, when the abortion pill was used in just over one-third of abortions. Planned Parenthood’s dishonest advertising violates Missouri’s consumer-protection law.

Grain Belt Loan Cancelled

Missouri Independent reports on the cancellation of a government loan for the controversial Grain Belt Express.  The huge infrastructure project is opposed by the Missouri Farm Bureau and many rural Missourians who dislike its power of eminent domain to intrude on farms and property.  See it here.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday it was cancelling a conditional $4.9 billion loan for the Grain Belt Express, a planned transmission line designed to transport electricity generated by wind farms in Kansas across four states, including Missouri.

What It Means

·       $4.9 billion is nice chunk of change, but I’ll be shocked if a project of this size can’t arrange alternative financing – albeit at a higher cost.
Still it’s a win for AG Andrew Bailey and Senator Josh Hawley, who can point to their efforts on behalf of rural Missouri to fight the project.

SoyFoam Comes to MO

Press release: Missouri Soybeans is proud to announce that the Boone County Fire Protection District (BCFPD) is the first fire department in Missouri to transition to SoyFoam™ TF 1122, a groundbreaking, PFAS-free firefighting foam. This switch marks a significant step forward in protecting firefighter health, supporting environmental sustainability, and creating new demand for U.S. soybeans.

·       BCFPD has already deployed SoyFoam™ in the field. One of their fire trucks has been fully equipped with the new product and suppressed a residential structure fire over the July 4th weekend.

·       SoyFoam™ TF 1122 meets a growing global demand to eliminate harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—often referred to as “forever chemicals”—from firefighting operations.

Lobbyist Registrations

Dan Houx added S1 Enterprises, LLC.

Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Christopher Schoeman, and Alec Rosenblum added Jaks Inc.

Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Brittany Robbins, Christopher Schoeman, and Alec Rosenblum deleted Scientific Games LLC, Montenot Meadows LLC, and Mobile DMV, LLC.

Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Brittany Robbins, and Christopher Schoeman deleted Draiver, Security Concepts Training Group, Natrabis, and Atlas Strategy Group.

Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, and Brittany Robbins deleted Bluebird Botanical Ltd, and Rose Management Group LLC.

Steven Tilley, Brittany Robbins, and Christopher Schoeman, deleted Medea.

Steven Tilley and Thomas Robbins deleted HHS Technology Group LLC, MyScholar LLC,

Georgia-Pacific LLC, and Flotron & McIntosh.

Steven Tilley and Brittany Robbins deleted Concordance Academy of Leadership.
Steven Tilley deleted PhRMA.

$5K+ Contributions

John Bowman for Missouri - $20,000 from John Bowman.

Lori Rook for Missouri - $100,000 from Lori Rook.

Arnold for Kirkwood - $5,001 from Justin Arnold.

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $30,000 from Show Me Leadership PAC.

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $25,000 from Political Action Committee for Health – HEALTHPAC.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Claire McCaskill, Betsy Ledgerwod, Jean Evans, Wes Rogers, Jim Lembke, Kim Tuttle, and Kevin Threlkeld.