MOScout Daily Update: Imagining a Senate 21 Primary - Bowman Preps Announcement - State Fair Opens - Bayer Settles Some Roundup Cases and more…

Gaming Out What Ifs: Who Would Run in Senate 21

I know we’re in the deep expanses of speculation and extrapolation, but…  Assuming the talk about the redistricting map is correct, and assuming the Sen. Kurtis Gregory becomes the front-runner for the new CD-5 which would take in his rural districts and extending eastward to Columbia where he’s a well-known figure, who would run for Gregory’s senate seat?

A special election for Gregory’s seat would potentially draw a crowded field.  Here’s a first look.

·       At the top of the list would be former Rep. Doug Richey who lost to Gregory just last year for the seat. Richey took 43% of the vote.  He’d have residual name ID from his last run.

·       After that, there’d be any number of current House members with some portion of their districts intersecting with Senate 21.  Because of term limits, if they have ambitions at higher office, they’d need to act. It’d be: take the leap now or miss your chance… Reps. Willard Haley, Josh Hulbert, Peggy McGaugh, Mark Meirath, Mark Nolte, Tim Taylor, and Terry Thompson

Senate 14: Bowman Formal Announcement Coming

Former Rep. John Bowman will formally announce his entry into the Senate 14 race next week. This is where Sen. Brian Williams is term limited.

This isn’t unexpected: Bowman formed a committee week ago, and has since funded it a couple personal checks.

Former State Representative and longtime civil rights advocate John Bowman will officially announce his candidacy for Missouri’s 14th Senate District. Joined by community members, supporters, and local leaders, Bowman will outline his campaign’s vision to advance justice, protect voting rights, champion labor, and ensure equitable opportunities for all—especially those seeking a second chance.

At a time when fundamental rights and protections are under threat, this campaign marks a defining moment for North County and the state. With decades of grassroots leadership and legislative experience, John Bowman brings a bold, justice-centered vision to the people of District 14—rooted in equity, inclusion, and a deep belief that no one should be left behind.

·       Bowman joins Rep. Raychel Proudie, Shaunte Duncan, and Joe Palm in the Democratic primary.

·       This is a safe Democratic district. 

State Fair Opens

Today, Governor Mike Kehoe will speak at the Missouri State Fair opening ceremony, where he will present a Governor's proclamation declaring the 2025 Missouri State Fair as a "Great American Fair" in celebration of America 250. While on the Fairgrounds, Governor and Mrs. Kehoe will participate in a cooking demonstration, unveil MoDOT's new official state highway map, and give welcome remarks to fairgoers with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Bayer’s Roundup Woes

Post-Dispatch reports that “Bayer has recently settled thousands of cases against the company over claims the active ingredient in its popular Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, while adding $1.2 billion to its glyphosate litigation fund, company leaders said Wednesday.”

The German pharmaceutical and crop science company, with a large presence in the St. Louis area, now faces about 61,000 unresolved Roundup cases, out of 192,000 total cases brought to date, officials said in quarterly updates. The company recently whittled down the caseload by about 17,000 after a major settlement with a plaintiffs’ law firm.

·       The House passed HB 544 last session (85-72), which would have given some Bayer same relief.  Supporters framed the bill as protecting farmers’ livelihood, saying that if lawsuits resulted in the product being pulled from market it would upend their work.   However, the bill sputtered in the Senate facing bipartisan opposition from a unusual coalition including Democrats and the Freedom Caucus.

Fed Study on Tornado’s Impact on Housing Prices

The St. Louis Federal Reserve released a paper on the impact of home prices near a natural disaster.  See it here.

On May 16, 2025, a major tornado touched down in the St. Louis metro area, creating a path of destruction through St. Louis County, St. Louis city and communities in southern Illinois... The dollar valuation of damages has been estimated to be around $1.6 billion in St. Louis city alone.

The destruction hit neighborhoods across the socioeconomic spectrum, from Clayton, where the median house price exceeds $780,000 in certain neighborhoods, to north St. Louis city, where the median house price is less than $100,000 in some neighborhoods…

A 2025 working paper by Jeffrey P. Cohen and Violeta Gutkowski focused on one aspect of a recent natural disaster: It examined how home prices were affected by the tornado that struck Little Rock, Ark., in March 2023.

The paper found that in Little Rock, the price of undamaged homes near damaged properties fell in the tornado’s aftermath, though the effect lasted less than a year. The focus on undamaged homes is to gauge the spillover effects of a tornado and to show how a natural disaster can affect not only the owners of damaged property but the entire community.

Seller Cites Tax Credits

A “fully integrated entertainment production platform offering world-class studio infrastructure, touring and event production services” in St. Louis County is for sale. It is “one of the largest and most advanced soundstage and rehearsal facilities in the country. Strategically located adjacent to a regional airport… serving major clients in the music, film, television, and corporate sectors.”  See the listing here.

·       Among the selling points… “A 30% entertainment industry credit.”  That appears to be a reference to the "Show MO Act," a tax credit bill sponsored by then-Sen. Denny Hoskins in 2023.

$5K+ Contributions

Rocker P Brand PAC (pro-Pollitt) - $20,000 from MO Soybean Assoc State PAC.

Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee - $15,000 from C.E. Bollmeier Co., Inc.

Show-Me Conservation PAC - $10,000 from Daniel Burkhardt.

MPS PAC (pro-Melissa Price Smith, St. Louis County Prosecutor) - $25,000 from Eric Holland.

Lobbyist Registrations

Mike Gibbons and Trish Workman added Total Wine & More.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Sen. Kurtis Gregory, Karlee Seek, Mike Dethrow, Don Suggs, and First Daughter Carol Kehoe.