MOScout Daily Update: Page Indictment - Trump Dings Hawley - More Redistricting Talk - Waller in Senate 22 and more…

Page Indicted

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page was indicted yesterday for allegedly using public funds “on a flyer to advocate the defeat, or oppose the passage, of a ballot measure on the April 8, 2025 ballot.”
See the indictment here.

The Post-Dispatch had a copy of the flyer in their article.  If you’re interested, you can see it here.

Initial thoughts…

First, it’s obviously a huge deal.  St. Louis County is the largest county in the state. Approximately 1 out of 6 Missourians lives there.

Second, the crime wasn’t fraud.  It was more a question of judgement (or misjudgment).  It’s not like Page was siphoning money out of the County budget to buy a boat and a third car.  Rather he tried to go up to the line of legality, and the Attorney General Andrew Bailey thinks he stepped out of bounds.  I won’t be surprised if Page beats it in court.  We’ll see.

One MOScouter remarks to this point: It seems very aggressive “lawfare”, in MAGA parlance. So it could scare the shit out of well meaning local officials… I wonder if this charge would have occurred in SEMO county.

A 2022 Missouri Supreme Court case on this topic footnotes a 1976 US Supreme Court decision which sketches out where the line of legality is.  Plainly, section 115.646 is intended to prohibit using public funds for what the United States Supreme Court called “express advocacy” in Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976). The Supreme Court explained express advocacy consists of “express words of advocacy of election or defeat, such as ‘vote for,’ ‘elect,’ ‘support,’ ‘cast your ballot for,’ ‘Smith for Congress,’ ‘vote against,’ ‘defeat,’ or ‘reject.’” Id. at 44 n.52.  By this standard, Page’s flyer didn’t seem to cross the threshold.   But a jury will make the final determination I suppose.

What It Means

·       One source says that “people who want to be County Exec are going to jockey for a resignation… I doubt [Page] will resign.”

·       Clearly this is helpful to Sen. Brian Williams, if he decides to primary Page. 

·       It also opens the door to others St. Louis Dems with ambitions (Assessor Jake Zimmerman?).

·       It does not open the door to a Republican.  St. Louis County is just too far gone for the GOP.

More Redistricting Talk…

·       Reader: If your map is along the lines of correct for what is going on, maybe it reflects trading completely safe seats for almost always safe seats.

·       Source: Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s district is not substantially improved by the proposed map.  In a mediocre to lean Dem year, she could have a fight on her hands.

·       From inside the building: It sounds like at least some Republican senators are not planning to take the “White House map” as is.  There’s some interest in making tweaks to help certain folks positioning for future runs.  We’ll see…

Waller in Senate 22

Jake Kroesen says that Rep. Ken Waller is in for Senate 22.  That’s the Jefferson County seat where Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman has decided not to run for re-election.

Waller starts behind on the money race (Jim Avery and Rep. David Casteel each plunked down some personal cash).  But he’s held county-wide off in JeffCo, so should start with a solid name ID.

July Quarters…

Rep. David Casteel raised $100,000; spent $2,000; and has $127,315 on-hand.

·       Casteel PAC: $5,354 COH.

Rep. Renee Reuter filed Limited Activity.

Jim Avery raised $282,900; spent $6,886; and has $276,013 on-hand.

Rep. Ken Waller raised $0; spent $3,049; and has $44,483 on-hand.

·       Building JeffCo Together: $8,238 COH.

Trump Starts Name-Calling Hawley

In a social media post, President Donald Trump called Senator Josh Hawley a “second-tier senator,” a “pawn,” and someone who owes his election to Trump “TWICE.”
See the post here.

International Student Impact

Brookings Institute looks at the economic impact of international students.  Missouri has over 32,000 international students, giving the state a surprisingly large economic boost.  See the study here.

New PACS

Smoke on the Mountain PAC was formed.  It’s in support of Rep. Jamie Gragg.  Its treasurer is former Rep. Allen Icet.  See the filing here.

Lobbyist Registrations

Jean Evans added Class Wallet.      

Rob Vescovo added KLEO-Inc.

Annie Harper and James McNichols added Union Electric Co. DBA Amerenue, Ameren Services, Ameren Corp.

Michael Lodewegen deleted Missouri Association of License Offices, and Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates-Philip Morris USA Inc., John Middleton Co., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., Helix Innovations LLC, and NJOY, LLC.

$5K+ Contributions

MBA Ozark Region OAC - $6,300 from Southwest Missouri Bank.

Liberty and Justice PAC (pro-Bailey) - $5,650 from Samuel Coryell.

MPS PAC - $25,000 from Robert Clark.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rodney Gray, Liz Henderson, and Samantha Davis.

MOScout Schedule

No MOScout this weekend.