MOScout Daily Update: Ehlmann Mulls 6th Term! - Fluoride Fears - Missouri Voices Formed and more…

1 Big Thing: Ehlmann Mulls Return to Race

About a year ago St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann announced that he would not seek a sixth term.  Now, I’m told that might not be the case.

Ehlmann is nervous about the current field to replace him, and he’s is considering reversing his decision.  Filing for the 2026 election doesn’t open for another six months. 

Here’s Ehlmann’s thinking (according to a few observers)…

Ehlmann thinks that former Sen. Bill Eigel would be a bad fit as county executive.  He’s concerned that Eigel wouldn’t switch from his campaign mode to governing as a chief executive.

Furthermore, Ehlmann is dismayed that Jason Law and Mike Elam are both running, splitting what he sees as the anti-Eigel vote.  He wants them to “work it out.”  If they don’t, then he’d consider jumping back in.

A Trafalgar Group poll from the Spring concluded that Law and Elam both have a path to win the race… “Initial name ID shows that people simply do not know Mike Elam or Jason Law, which lead to their low ballot tests. As people are informed about Elam and Law, they have an extremely positive reaction. With a strong campaign that highlights Eigel’s negatives, it is absolutely conceivable that either Elam or Law could win on their biographies and positives should Ehlmann not run.”

But Ehlmann concern is that if they both run – and aim their fire at each other early on – their paths vanish.

Adding to the intrigue… Allies of Governor Mike Kehoe are keeping an eye on the situation.  Some believe that Eigel would use the St. Charles County Exec position as a platform for a gubernatorial rematch with Kehoe in 2028.  They’d love for Eigel to lose the race, believing the lost in his home county would undermine any future ambitions.

Who’s Afraid of Fluoride?

Kurt Erickson reports on the growing number of municipalities considering ending fluoride treatment… Missouri is seeing a spike in the number of cities debating whether to stop adding fluoride to drinking water. Typically, Department of Natural Resources officials say, one or two communities a year notify the state of their plans to remove the cavity-preventing mineral from their water supplies. So far this year, the agency reports at least seven towns are mulling the idea.

Jayhawks Get $300M

The Sinquefields have been great backers of Mizzou, but it turns out that Rex Sinquefield’s business partner from his Dimensional Fund gives to Mizzou rival Kansas University.

On3 reports on a $300 million gift to KU from David Booth: Booth is alum of the university, getting his bachelors degree from Kansas in 1968, majoring in business. He earned a Master’s of Science from Kansas the very next year as well.

Booth left Kansas and enrolled in the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and left in 1971 with an MBA degree. Currently, Booth is the chairman of Dimensional Fund Advisors, which he co-founded with former Chicago classmate Rex Sinquefield.

Help Wanted

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers seeks Legislative Director, Missouri.  The ideal candidate will have a passion for engaging with key stakeholders including coalition partners, policymakers, and constituents to ensure the work of PPGR is multi-racial, collaborative, and inclusive of all the communities the organization serves. This individual will possess a strong equity lens that centers the communities disproportionately impacted by health care policies in the state. They will be committed to getting results in a fast-paced environment without sacrificing input or quality, and have the resilience to navigate setbacks with an eye toward new opportunities.  See the posting here.

Presley Passes

From his obituary: Jerry Jeemes Presley, 94, passed away on August 9, 2025 with his family by his side. A lifelong Missourian, Jerry was born on December 17, 1930 in St. Louis…

Following his Naval service and utilizing the benefits of the GI Bill, Jerry enrolled at the University of Missouri, graduating in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management. After graduation, Jerry accepted a position with the Missouri Department of Conservation, where he would spend the next 39 years building his career and working to protect and manage the fish, forests, and wildlife of Missouri.

Jerry started his career with MDC in 1958 as an Assistant District Forester in Ellington. Throughout his tenure, he served in many positions, culminating in his service as Director from 1988 until his retirement in 1997. Jerry was proud of his work and his career with MDC.

·       A memorial service will be held at Houser-Millard Funeral Directors in Jefferson City, Missouri on August 22, 2025 at 1:00pm.

New Committees

Missouri Voices was formed.  It’s a campaign committee for a yet unnamed ballot measure.  Its treasurer is Democratic fundraiser Mike Pridmore.  See the filing here.

Lobbyist Registrations

Steven Carroll added North America Family Institute.

Jay Reichard deleted Safer St. Louis, LLC, Spirit of '76 LLC, and Apollo Global Management, Inc.

$5K+ Contributions

Real Action PAC (po-Christ) - $10,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of Missouri LLC (Effingham, IL).

The Good Government Committee - $16,000 from Judy Burns.

Missouri Optometric Association PAC - $50,000 from Missouri Optometric Association.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. David Griffith, Ashley Bax, Tyler Travers, Nancy Cross, Locke Thompson, Doug Moore, and John Loudon.