MOScout Daily Update: MRL Goes After Walker - Greitens on Lobbyists - Closing Ads - Sheriffs Complain to Fitz and more…
MRL Targets Walker
Missouri Right to Life PAC is telling its supporters to vote against Cole County Judge Cotton Walker for his rulings on the 2024’s Amendment 3. See its judicial voter guide here.
· Judge Walker rewrote that language to tell voters that the 2024 Amendment 3 “allows regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient.”
· Judge Walker’s ballot language was false…
The Missouri Independent reported on pro-lifers’ outrage the follow legislative session…
The proposal from House Speaker Pro Tem Chad Perkins of Bowling Green targets Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker, who was elected by overwhelming margins in 2020… In an interview Thursday, Perkins said ending Walker’s time on the bench is the intent of his bill. He called Walker “Cotton Bader Ginsburg” and “Cotton Sotomayor,” references to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and current U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Senate 4: Butz’ Closing Ad
· This looks to be Steve Butz’ closing ad in the Senate 4 race. It’s a positive reminder that Butz is a “St. Louis guy.” Steve got into politics to help people. He treats everyone with respect. And unlike a lot of politicians, he gets things done.
· Meanwhile, Gina Mittenhas a video up of “Lt. Murphy” saying he “was trained to know when the facts and the narrative don't add up,” and saying Butz’ stance on abortion is inconsistent. It’s 47 seconds, meaning it’s not cut as a commercial, but could be picked up by the PAC side and sliced into an ad.
Senate 6: 8-Day Reports
Is it a two-way race in Senate 6?...
The 8-Day reports from Jake Vogel’s committee and his PAC show about $440,000 being spent in the latest period with another $200,000 still in cash for the final week.
The reports from Rudy Veit’s committee and PAC show $200,000 being spent with $150,000 still on-hand.
· Those sums far exceed other candidates in the race. For example, Ike Skelton spent only about $50,000 during that period and has about $25,000 left.
Senate 20: Rook’s Closing Ad
See Lori Rook’s closing ad here.
There are a lot of lies flying around, so let me clear some things up: As the mother of two conservative sons entering the workforce, I hate DEI. They're lying to you. I'm going up against the lobbyists' favorite, and they're desperate. Corporate Curtis Trent paved the way for data centers, giving them massive utility breaks, and gave politicians unlimited power to raise your sales tax. I'm Lori Rook, the actual conservative in the race…
AFC Victory Fund Hits Hardwick, Carter
The pro-school choice PAC, AFC Victory Fund, is coming in hot with some late expenditures in Senate primaries. Two of their biggest…
· $51,627 opposing Bill Hardwick in Senate 16.
· $44,590 opposing Jill Carter in Senate 32.
House 61: Competitive?
Sapphire Strategies says they’ve got a live-wire candidate in House 61 that’s going to make the rural district interesting for Dems.
In a post titled “No More Underestimating Rural Districts,” they say Stacy Bax“has outraised both of her opponents. More than 50 people regularly attend campaign events in communities that supposedly lacked Democratic enthusiasm. Volunteers are knocking doors, neighbors are talking to neighbors, and voters are engaging in a way that many believed simply was not possible… Will every rural district flip overnight? Of course not. But districts do not become competitive by waiting. They become competitive because candidates run, volunteers organize, donors invest, and campaigns refuse to accept that ‘it has always been this way.’”
· Republican Rep. Bruce Sassmann is the current state representative in House 61.
House 139: Door-knocking Gone Wrong?
This incident report is getting passed around…
· One MOScouter shrugs: “The heat is getting to everybody.”
Sheriffs to Fitz: Don’t Make Fun of Us
The Missouri Sheriffs’ Association sent a letter to Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick complaining that the tone of his audit of the Bates County Sheriff was “sensationalized.”
We are not writing to defend any specific expenditure or decision identified in the recent audit… We are writing to express concern about the tone… References seemingly intended to ridicule the sheriff, accusations that he betrayed the public trust, and statements regarding his willingness to accept responsibility went beyond the objective presentation of audit findings…
MSBA on Budget Cuts
In an open letter to “Missouri's educators, school leaders, school board members, parents, first responders, policymakers, and community partners” the Missouri School Boards’ Association expressed concern about budget cuts for school safety.
In 2025, the legislature passed a landmark school safety bill that set a reasonable standard of care for school safety… however, we must share concerning news about the future of state-funded school safety training in Missouri.
For the current fiscal year, the Missouri General Assembly reduced funding for statewide school safety initiatives from $1.5 million to $1 million. The Governor then exercised a line-item veto removing an additional $500,000 — leaving just $500,000 in total state funding, a 66 percent reduction from the previous appropriation.
· The safety of Missouri’s students must be worth more than $.52 per child.
Greitens on the Corrupting Influence of Lobbyists
Former Governor Eric Greitens is creeping back onto a social media presence. His latest video (see it here) explains “why the system is so broken.”
“It’s important to understand how insidious it is, is that what happens is people go and they work for a governor… and they work there for a couple years. Well what happens when they’re working there? They’re meeting all the lobbyists. They’re meeting all the insiders. You don’t make that much money when you’re in government. And you have a lot of young people who are young and idealistic… Well lobbyists start saying to them, ‘I need your help on this issue.’ And they used to be taking them for vacations and taking them for dinner. So they’re getting to know them. They’re giving them all these gifts. And [they say] ‘When you leave and you’re ready to start a family. You want to stop making $50,000 a year? You want to make $300,000? You should come and work for us.’ And they [know] that young person becomes very valuable in politics because they were just in the governor’s office.”
Ramsay GoFundMe
There’s a GoFundMe up for Derek Ramsay. See it here.
As a respected Governmental Affairs Director for a large regional REALTOR® association, Derek spent his career advocating for our industry, mentoring others, and building friendships that span the country… Recently, Derek was involved in a devastating motor vehicle accident in rural Wyoming and was airlifted to Billings, Montana. He suffered fractures to his neck and lower back, along with trauma to his spinal cord, and has already undergone multiple surgeries.
Lobbyist Registrations
Samantha Davis and Jeff Williams added Monsanto Company dba Ruveon LLC.
$5K+ Contributions
Baird For Jackson County - $25,000 from Drake Development, LLC (Overland Park, KS).
Baird For Jackson County - $8,500 from Boyd Kenter Thomas & Parrish.
Citizens to Elect Jeremy Mosley - $6,321 from Jeremy Mosley.
Friends of Kyle Rieman - $10,000 from Kyle Rieman.
Missouri House Democrats Action Fund - $25,000 from Volunteer Political Fund Local 533.
Missouri Prospers PAC - $150,000 from Good Day Farm Missouri (Little Rock, AR).
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $10,000 from American Federation for Children (Dallas, TX).
MO Constitutional Conservative Council PAC - $19,500 from Mid Missouri Conservative PAC.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Mary Russell, and Dale Ludwig.