MOScout Daily Update: Casinos To Counter VLTers? - HRCC’s $2M Warchest - The Rex List - Spencer on Police ‘Divorce’ and more…

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Penn Enters Senate 16

Esther PAC, which supports Hannah Kelly in Senate 16, received a $50,000 check from PENN Entertainment.  

Why It Matters

PENN operates three casinos in Missouri.  Casinos have been opposed to legalizing video lottery terminals (VLTs) because they believe it would create mini-casino (or gasino) competitors at every street corner and truck stop.

Kelly’s main rival in Senate 16, Rep. Bill Hardwick, has a huge fundraising lead, some of which has come from VLT legalization proponents.  Hardwick passed a legalization bill out of the House last session.

·       I’m told there will likely be more anti-VLT checks coming in to support Kelly, making this race a flashpoint in this battle.

Hough: VLTers ‘Buying’ Seats

Sen. Lincoln Hough, speaking at an event hosted by the Informed Voter Coalition in Springfield, decried money’s influence – specifically the VLT debate.  See it here.

“The proponents of that and the owners of those machines now are just going to buy enough seats in the Missouri Senate, and that will pass,” Hough said, alluding to the companies’ financial investment in several Senate races. “I mean, it’s that simple, and it’s sad and it’s gross and it’s wrong, but it’s a fact.”

Kehoe Budget Vetoes

Governor Mike Kehoe took out about a half-billion from the current budget, which starts today, through line-item vetoes (see that list here) and restrictions (see that list here).

The restrictions amounted to about $440 million.  That’s about $200 million more than the initial list of restrictions he released with his budget proposal in January.

Rudi Keller has a good rundown of the moves here.  The key line in his article is this: The deficit in the new budget — $2.3 billion after Kehoe’s vetoes — will be covered by surpluses accumulated as state revenues surged and federal funds were available to replace other spending during the pandemic.

In other words, a substantial budget imbalance remains.  And the legislature will have to cut even more to address it when crafting the next budget.

HRCC Ready for a Fight

One MOScouter says that the House Republican Campaign Committee “is going to be coming into Q3 with $2M COH…  I did a bit of digging and it almost doubles the highest giving of any election before since Republicans took the majority. Alex Riley, Hannah Sutton and Casey Burns are taking the threat of a suspected horrible cycle for republicans seriously.”

What It Means

$2 million will give HRCC the ability to carpet-bomb Dems with mailers in the dozen or so battleground districts.  It’s a significant advantage.

But… there are diminishing returns.  After the 10th mailer, does the 11th really move any votes?

Rex List

Here’s a rundown of candidates that received checks from Rex Sinquefield in June...

·       $125,000 – Curtis Trent’s 417 PAC.

·       $100,000 – JP’s Missouri Alliance PAC.

·       $100,000 – Melanie Stinnett’s Heart of SGF PAC.

·       $50,000 – Bishop Davidson’s Show Me Liberty PAC.

·       $50,000 – Alex Riley’s Missouri Leadership PAC.

·       $50,000 – Mike Jones’ Beverly PAC.

·       $25,000 – Jason Bean’s Conservative Leadership for Southeast Missouri.

·       $15,000 – Brandon Phelps’ Missouri Dream PAC.

·       $10,000 – David Casteel’s Casteel PAC.

Senate 14: Proudie Fundy

Tipster says that Rep. Raychel Proudie’s fundraiser at University City Mayor Terry Crow’s house last night was “packed.”  Among the bold-faced attendees: Sen. Brian Williams, Reps. Jeff Hales and Ray Reed, Melissa Price Smith, and Kevin Windham.

Spencer on Kehoe’s Terrible Police Appts

Speaking on the St. Louis Business Journal’s Arch City Report podcast, Mayor Cara Spencer expressed her frustration with Governor Mike Kehoe’s police board appointees.

Managing Editor Jacob Kirn: We’ve had this headline-making dispute with the police board. Why haven’t we been able to see more agreement on that… and avoid this public dispute going back and forth?

Spencer:One of the more heartbreaking components, aspects, of my service as mayor over the last year has been just that.  You know when I came in the tornado was just 30 days later… We were working hand-in-hand, really lockstep, for months.  I operated City Hall out of police headquarters for the better part of three months following the tornado.  We had an excellent excellent working relationship.  I think that the state takeover of the police department has really resulted in a divorcing of the police department from the operating aspect of the city government.  And it’s been wildly unfortunate…  The police department has no need anymore whatsoever to answer to, or even communicate with, the City of St. Louis and that’s a very bad place for us all to be…

The complete disregard for the City of St. Louis that the folks in charge of the police department, the appointed police board have demonstrated has been jaw-dropping… It’s been a complete divorcing of the Police Department from the rest of City government. We need to change that.

·       On her relationship with the governor:The governor’s been a great partner… Our relationship is very very constructive. He is aware that I am wildly disappointed about the way in which this state takeover of the police department has played out… That’s not stopping us from working on other issues, but it does not change my firm belief that the way this board has completely and utterly disregarded the City of St. Louis.

Wright Report

Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick gave Wright County a “poor” rating in his latest audit.  See it here.

Among the findings…

·       The Sheriff made 6 improper and unsupported disbursements from the Special Operations account totaling $15,950 from January 2023 through July 2025.

·       The County Commission authorized mid-term salary increases totaling $16,281 to the Sheriff over a period of 2 years in violation of constitutional provisions and state law.

·       The County Commission entered into a form of indebtedness not allowed by state law…

Wright County is represented by Sen. Justin Brown and Rep. Melissa Schmidt.

Lobbyist Registrations

Catalyst added Clean Grid Alliance.

Stephen Billy added ZeroEyes.

John Bardgett added City of Creve Coeur.

John Bardgett, Jacqueline Bardgett, Chris Roepe and Braydon Pemberton deleted

Harris-Stowe State University, Bunge North America Inc., BluEarth Renewables U.S. LLC, and Ceres, Inc.

$5K+ Contributions

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $50,000 from David Steward.

American Dream PAC - $25,000 from Robert Brinkmann.

Missouri Alliance PAC (pro-JP) - $100,000 from Rex Sinquefield.

Missouri Alliance PAC - $50,000 from Ketchmark & McCreight PC.

Missouri Alliance PAC - $15,000 from GOPac Election Fund.

Missouri Alliance PAC - $10,000 from LPJ Holdings.

Esther PAC (pro-Kelly) - $50,000 from PENN Entertainment Inc (Wyomissing, PA).

Beverly PAC (pro-Mike Jones) - $50,000 from KAJE LLC (Des Moines, IA).

Show Me Values PAC (pro-Carter) - $50,000 from Mid America Carpenters Regional Council MO-KS PAC.

Rocker P Brand PAC (pro-Pollitt) - $50,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.

Rocker P Brand PAC - $10,000 from Spire Missouri Inc PAC.

Rocker P Brand PAC - $10,000 from MEDA PAC.

Lead the Way PAC (pro-Vogel) - $10,000 from Spire Missouri Inc.

Let's Go Brandon PAC (anti-Blue and anti-Skelton) - $25,000 from NEMO Leadership PAC.

Heart of SGF PAC (pro-Stinnett) - $100,000 from Rex Sinquefield.

Heart of SGF PAC - $15,000 from HealthPAC.

Show Me Liberty PAC (pro-Davidson) - $10,000 from Another Viceroy PAC.

Real Action PAC (pro-Christ) - $50,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $70,000 from Missouri Alliance PAC.

Missourians for Fair Governance - $167,211 from Protect Majority Rule Missouri.

HBS MO State PAC - $7,500 from Missouri County Collectors Association.

Missouri House Democrats Action Fund - $10,000 from Cheyenne International LLC.

Missouri Energy Development Association Political Action Committee - $10,000 from Spire Missouri Inc.

Committee to Elect Phil Fox - $10,000 from Phillip Fox.

GOPAC Election Fund - Federal PAC - $5,250 from GoPAC Election Fund.

Missouri Grit & Growth PAC - $10,000 from Rex Sinquefield.

Citizens for Jason Johnson - $10,040 from Greene County Sheriff PAC.

Missouri Cattlemens Association PAC - $8,075 from Callaway Montgomery Cattlemen's.

Evergy Employee PowerPAC - Missouri - $30,000 from Evergy Employee PowerPAC – Missouri.

Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri 2665 PAC Fund - $8,656 from Professional Firefighters of Eastern Missouri.

Protect Missouri Workers PAC - $30,000 from Simmons Hanly Conroy (Alton, IL).

North County Alive PAC - $10,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council MO-KS Area PAC.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Cyndi Gamble, John Bowman, Maida Coleman, Charlie Norr, and Connie Johnson.