MOScout Daily Update: Deaton to Carry Redistricting Bill - More CD-5 Names - Senate 22 Shuffle? - Allen for Whip - Insta Influencer Against Wagner? and more…

Special Session Starts

The House will convene today to start Governor Mike Kehoe’s second special session.  Here’s my best guess at the scaffolding, but it sounds like things are still being worked out…

·       Speaker Jon Patterson will appoint a new special committee on redistricting.

·       Rep. Dirk Deaton will be the sponsor for the redistricting bill.

·       Rep. Ed Lewis will sponsor the initiative petition changes resolution.  It will go through the Election Committee.

·       Hearing will be held tomorrow with floor debate and passage next week ahead of the Senate’s arrival for Veto Session.

Next week, expectations now are for PQs in Senate! We’ll see.  Things are very fluid right now.  And I am detecting some resistance from Republicans senators.  Nothing big yet, but a desire to noddle with maps at least a little.  We’ll see if it gains traction or if they all fall in line.

JeffCo Shuffle Coming?

Tim Whitney is making moves in the Jefferson County Executive race. 

Last week he recorded a $50,000 check from mega-donor Mike Rayner.  Rayner is known for supporting pro-law enforcement candidates.  Whitney works in the sheriff’s office.

Then Whitney released an endorsement from former AG Andrew Bailey, and that brought a secondary endorsement from Senate 22 candidate Jim Avery. 

Whitney faces Chris Howard in the Executive race.  But there could be a shuffle underway.

One source says that Howard and Rep. Cecelie Williams are both looking at the Senate 22 race after Ken Waller’s shocking passing. 

Howard and Williams are allies, so they wouldn’t both run.  But the guess is that one of them will.

Stinnett All In

In the large contributions, Rep. Melanie Stinnett added $200,000 to her campaign account yesterday.  She’s running in Senate 30 to replace termed Sen. Lincoln Hough.

One supporter says it’s a signal that she’s “ ‘all in’ in what is expected to be the most competitive and expensive Senate race of the 2026 cycle.”

And it’s no bluff, Stinnett has actually shown she is willing to spend when it counts to win her tough races. She invested $50,000 in her initial race for state representative, and spent it in full.

·       Stinnett owned and operated her own very successfully business (Theracare) before selling when she made her transition to public office. 

Exclusive: Allen Eyes Leadership

Rep. Bill Allen will likely be throwing his name in the hat for House leadership.  He’s planning on running for Majority Whip.

·       Allen has consistently won one of the bluest House districts that the GOP holds.  He’s well-liked with “no natural enemies in the House.”

Who Else Might Run for the New CD-5?

Here are some other names folks threw at me yesterday as possible CD-5 candidates.  And a reminder: you don’t have to live in the district to run.  Congressmen Mark Alford and Bob Onder successfully pulled it off recently.

One reader thinks that we’ll “see someone emerge from the Cole/Boone side of the district.”  That could be…

·       Katie Ashcroft – Pivot from a crowded Senate 6 race to a larger stage where her last name might have more impact?

·       Taylor Burks – He ran for CD-4 back in 2022.

·       Locke Thompson – The prosecuting attorney for Cole County.

Others…

·       From the north, one reader thinks Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer should be on any list.  “He’s in Platte county, so not far [from the district].”

·       And the one wildcard who now seems to get mentioned anytime a higher office comes up… former governor Eric Greitens.

Corbett in CD-2?

Luke Corbett (see his Twitter here) is said to be running as a Democrat against Congresswoman Ann Wagner in CD-2. An announcement could come next month.

I say “as a Democrat” because Chelsea Rodriguez dinged him for “scrubbing” his bio to leave out his previous stints working for Ted Cruz and Wagner.

One MOScouter on the intriguing candidate…

·       His dad is an owner of House of Pain Gym in St. Louis who fought Sam Page during the Covid shutdowns. 

·       Corbett works for the Federal Reserve now but is more known as an Instagram influencer where he has just shy of 90,000 followers. 

·       He just moved back from Chicago this year to run for office.

Veto Session Fundraisers

I’m trying to compile a comprehensive list of fundraisers that folks can use for next week’s Veto Session.  If you have one, send it over – dave@moscout.com

Lobbyist Registrations

Bardgett & Associates added Kansas City Public Library.

Adam Davis added Wonderschool.

Michael Donnelly added Club for Growth.

LaToya ‘Toy’ Franklin added Union Electric Co. DBA Amerenue, Ameren Services, Ameren Corp.  

Heath Clarkston, Michael Henderson, and Doug Nelson added City of Jefferson, Missouri; and deleted Missourians Improving Higher Education, and Knox Company.

Thomas ‘Shad’ Burner deleted City of West Plains.

David Overfelt deleted Associated Industries of Missouri.

$5K+ Contributions

Friends of Melanie Stinnett - $200,000 from Melanie Stinnett.

Conservative Justice for Missouri PAC (pro-Hanaway) - $15,000 from Enterprise Holdings.

Spire Political Action Committee - $25,000 from Romet Limited.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Warren Wood, and Adam Crumbliss.