MOScout Daily Update: Where Trial Attorney Money Is Going This Cycle - New Hardwick Ad - Kehoe to Sign HB 3231 - EcoDevo ‘Primary Pause?’ and more…
Lawyers Fund ‘Sophia Slate’
Trial attorneys, once big supporters of the Freedom Caucus, are supporting Sophia Shore’s MO Maverick Strategies slate of candidates in Republican Senate primaries this year.
Here’s how some of the money is moving…
Made in Missouri was a PAC helping Mazzie Christensen. She announced she wasn’t seeking re-election in April, and the PAC now seems to be a conduit for MO Maverick candidates.
According to its July filing, Made in Missouri PAC received $91,975 in contributions, most of it from trial attorney firms. Since its July filing, another $30,000 came in from those firms.
Made in Missouri sent most of that money on. Here’s where it went…
· $2,400 max contributions to Dusty Blue (running in Senate 18) candidate committee.
· $5,000 contribution to Heart of Missouri, a PAC supporting Ike Skelton (running in Senate 6).
· $5,000 contribution to Firebrand PAC.
· $41,959 contribution to Take Back Missouri PAC.
· $38,984 contribution to MO Maverick PAC.
Cheryl Martin is the treasurer of Firebrand PAC, MO Maverick PAC, Take Back Missouri PAC, and Heart of Missouri
· Firebrand PAC also received $70,000 from Make JeffCo Great Again (a pro-Jim Avery PAC; Avery client of MO Maverick; Make JeffCo Great Again received contributions from trial attorneys). Firebrand sent max contributions ($2,400) to the candidate committees of Blue and Lori Rook.
· Take Back Missouri PAC sent max contributions ($2,400) to the candidate committees of Blue and Rook.
· MO Maverick PAC also received $20,000 from Protect Missouri Workers PAC, a political committee used by trial attorneys to bundle their contributions. MO Maverick PAC sent max contributions ($2,400) to the candidate committees of Blue and Rook.
Hardwick: Won’t Be ‘Go Along, Get Along’
Rep. Bill Hardwick, running in Senate 16, has a new ad promising to be “a fighter.” See it here. I'm a soldier. And I'm running for the Missouri Senate. All I've ever wanted to do was help the little guy. Because of that, I found myself in some of the biggest battles in Missouri. I fought against big tech data center takeover. I fought against immunity for big pharma because they should pay for what they did to us. I led the fight against red flag laws and sponsored the Second Amendment Preservation Act. I've gone to the mat every day for Missouri veterans. We don't need someone in the Senate who will go along to get along. We need a fighter.
Driving the Day: HB 3231
Governor Mike Kehoe will sign HB 3231, Rep. Brad Christ’s landmark economic development bill, which aims to jumpstart growth in downtowns large and small across the state.
· In the coming months, we’ll see how many municipalities move to adopt the Innovation Zone framework required to take advantage of its incentives.
Eckelkamp Passes
Louis B. “L.B.” Eckelkamp Jr. passed away over the weekend. He led the Bank of Washington for more than four decades while building an expansive civic and philanthropic legacy in Franklin County and St. Louis.
· On social media, Scott Dieckhaus wrote that Eckelkamp was “one of the primary reasons Washington is the wonderful community it is.”
The Primary Pause?
Area Development has an article about projects being put on hold because of politics. It’s a bit of an about-face. Big economic development projects used to be the thing politicians hurried to announce before an election. Now, not necessarily. Read it here.
A community has a strong site. The incentive package is competitive. The economic development team is engaged and doing good work. And then, at the point where the process would normally be moving toward structuring a deal, the ED staff pulls the consulting team aside and says some version of: we love this project, we want this project — but can you hold off until after the primary?
What is happening now goes beyond a difficult council member or a skeptical county commission. It is a community's own economic development professionals signaling that beginning the public approval process — for a good project, one that creates jobs and tax base and economic activity — could be a political liability for an incumbent facing a primary. The concern is that many types of projects are destined to draw opposition and give an opponent something to campaign against.
Quick Note on Money
With campaign finance filings coming this Wednesday, and the daily long list of large contributions, here’s a quick reminder on what we all know.
· It’s hard for campaigns without money to win. The larger the area, the harder it is. You can door-knock your way to a House victory if your opponent is sleeping, but it’s hard to do that for State Senate and impossible for Congress.
· At some point, additional money is close to worthless. When you’ve done 20 mailers, the 21st one isn’t changing many minds. You need the money to get your message out, but there are diminishing returns after a certain point. This is true at every level.
Parson Revenge?
One MOScouter says that former Governor Mike Parson could get revenge against his statewide appointees who stayed silent – rather than pushing back or supporting the former gov – in the face of Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick’s close-the-books review of Parson’s term. Those who Parson might feel betrayed by – Mike Kehoe, Eric Schmitt, Vivek Malek and Fitzpatrick himself – are all on board with Amendments 4 and 5.
“Parson could give his non-defenders a comeuppance by jumping out to lead the already sprawling parade against Amendments 4 and 5. Parson's opposition would bring along already-skeptical rural conservatives… Parson can say, don't put unfair sales tax burdens on rural folk and the elderly and veterans – boom… He could say 4 is unfair to rural Missouri because it gives St. Louis a permanent veto over what rural Missouri wants.”
NYTimes on Flood Rescue
The New York Times reports on rescue efforts after flash floods hit southeast Missouri. Read it here.
· The National Weather Service called the foot of rain that pounded the region a once-in-a-thousand-years event...
· Over the next 12 hours, Gov. Mike Kehoe of Missouri declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to support rescues. In the afternoon, Black Hawk helicopters airlifted about 200 campers and counselors out of Camp Taum Sauk to a nearby elementary school where parents picked up their children.
· For the campers, it all seemed like an adventure. “When I first heard we were getting on helicopters, I was kind of scared,” said Everett Box, 11, who was attending Camp Taum Sauk for the third summer. “Then I kind of warmed up to it and was superexcited to go on it.”
Cannon’s Boss Moves Up
Punchbowl this morning looks at the fallout from U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden death over the weekend: Graham held the Budget gavel, a big job this year because of the GOP’s reconciliation plans. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is preparing to take over as chair. Johnson’s rise to lead the Budget Committee marks a major shift. The Wisconsin Republican is a vocal fiscal hawk who’s demanded that Republicans make massive cuts to federal spending, especially social programs.
· Missourian Joelle Cannon is senior adviser to Johnson. She’s married to former Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr.
Help Wanted
Department of Health and Senior Services seeks Deputy Director.The primary responsibility of the Deputy Department Director is to provide support to the Department Director in carrying out the vision, mission, and values of the department by providing strategic leadership and direction for Missouri’s statewide public health programs and initiatives that promote, protect, and improve the health and well-being of all Missourians... $152,000. - $165,000.
New PACs
· Summit Strong was formed. It’s in support of Rep. Kemp Strickler. See the filing here.
· The Claire Choice PAC was formed. It’s in support of Democratic House 110 candidate Claire Heinrich. See the filing here.
New Nonprofit
Missouri Election Integrity Coalition Inc is a new nonprofit formed last week. Its registered agent is lobbyist Rich AuBuchon. See the Secretary of State filing here.
Lobbyist Registrations
Kyle McDermott added No MO Slots.
Derek Coats deleted City of West Plains.
$5K+ Contributions
Protect Majority Rule Missouri (anti-A4) - $500,000 from ACLUAmerican Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc. (New York, NY).
Missourians for Fair Governance - $318,852 from Protect Majority Rule Missouri.
Missourians for Fair Governance - $337,972 from Protect Majority Rule Missouri.
Missouri Enterprise Fund (pro-Hardwick) - $10,000 from Wallis Oil Co., LLC.
Committee To Elect Steve Ehlmann - $7,500 from Greg Wendt (Ketchum, ID).
The Madison PAC - $100,000 from Boyd Gaming Corporate (Las Vegas, NV).
Made in Missouri - $20,000 from Strong Law.
Made in Missouri - $10,000 from DW Law Kansas City LLC.
Clay County Democratic Central Committee - $25,000 from Clay Dems Political Action Committee Inc.
St Louis Association of Realtors-PAC - $15,857 from Missouri REALTORS PAC Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Rep. Scott Cupps, Jeff Howell, Richard Brown, Gary Marshall, Cory McMahon, Tim Meadows, Brent Lasater, and Jeff Craver.