MOScout Daily Update: Realtors’ Sign Juggernaut - Thomas Hits Vogel - Fitz Guess 7% Rate After A5 - Carpenters’ Candidates and more…
Realtors’ War Machine
Here come the Realtors…
I’m told they’ve got “40,000 NO on 4 & 5 yard signs ready to roll out across Missouri during the coming days.”
· “The Realtors’ distribution network is unrivaled through 32 local Realtor association offices across the state. And Realtors have no peers in putting up signs - it's part of their everyday job…. They have access to the highest-traffic locations through established private property owner relationships, including malls, shopping centers, all manner of developments.”
Senate 6: Thomas PAC Hits Vogel
Here’s a hit piece on Jake Vogel in Senate 6. It was produced by Missourians for Ethical and Transparent Government. That PAC was funded by former Rep. Lisa Thomas, who is also running in Senate 6.
Fitz Estimates A5 Sales Tax Rate
In an interview, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick guesses that the sales tax, if Amendment 5 passes, would settle around 7%.
“I believe that we can keep our sales tax rate roughly in the 7% range — a state sales tax rate. We’re currently at 4.225. I think you probably have to go up to about 7% to do this, which is about the same as Tennessee. But that would make sure that you don’t levy a tax on healthcare, on agriculture, and on real estate, which are the things the governor has specifically said he’s not in favor of putting a sales tax on.”
CD-1: New Bell Ad
The latest ad in the CD-1 race is from United Democracy Project supporting Congressman Wesley Bell. See it here.
As a public defender and the first Black prosecutor in Saint Louis, Wesley Bell fought to reform a broken system, defending the powerless. In Congress, Wesley Bell is leading the fight to abolish ICE. Right now, U.S. Representative Wesley Bell is actually taking on ICE and he's fighting to lower costs on housing, gas, and groceries too. Fighting against Trump, fighting for St. Louis. That's our congressman, Wesley Bell.
And
KSDK’s Mark Maxwell reports on sketchy payments in PACs tied to Cori Bush. Former Rep. Cori Bush, seeking to reclaim the St. Louis congressional seat she lost in 2024, routed money through two political action committees she controlled to pay salaries to herself and her husband…
Carpenters Candidates
Here’s where the Carpenters’ union has sent large contributions in recent weeks…
· House 96 – $50,000 to Brad Christ’s Real Action PAC.
· Senate 8 – $50,000 to Keri Ingle’s KERI PAC.
· Senate 10 – $50,000 to Mike Deering’s Cut the Bull PAC.
· Senate 14 – $25,000 to Raychel Proudie’s PROUD PAC.
· Senate 28 – $50,000 to Brad Pollitt’s Rocker P Brand PAC.
· Senate 30 – $150,000 to Betsy Fogle’s Forward PAC.
· Senate 32 – $50,000 to Jill Carter’s Show Me Values PAC.
· St. Louis County Council – $20,000 to Rita Days’ Better Days PAC.
· St. Louis County Council – $10,000 to Shalonda Webb’s North County Alive PAC.
· $100,000 to Anti-A4’s Protect Majority Rule Missouri.
Counties Sue Over Budget
Audrain and Montgomery Counties sued the state of Missouri in a fight over who gets to set the sheriff’s deputy payroll in smaller Missouri counties. In third- and fourth-class counties, circuit judges approve the number of sheriff’s deputies/assistants and “fix the compensation” for them. Audrain and Montgomery counties argue that lets judges act like county budget officers, which they say is not a judicial function and violates separation of powers.
Show-Me Talks Education
The Show-Me Institute interviews Andy Smarick. See it here. A few highlights…
· What It Means to be “Conservative” “Conservative can mean two different things. One is the traditional conservative view, which is to preserve... You’re trying to keep things the way they are because there’s a lot of wisdom that has gone into it and people are accustomed to it. In education, there’s also this other right-of-center conservative view, which is we have to be much more open to choice, competition, accountability metrics…”
· Next DESE Commish Should Be Outsider: “My view is a place like Missouri should pick someone from out of state for a state chief, someone with a long track record of success, but someone who isn’t so green as to think he or she knows everything. Someone with enough humility and enough time on task to know what they don’t know, and who can come in and be bold enough to make some changes, but not think that everyone in the state is a dummy who needs to be ignored.”
· On the tension between state top-down direction and local control: “Every state I ever talk to begins by saying, well, you know, we’re a local control state, our districts have all the power. Everybody says that. Go back to your state constitution. The state is the one that’s going to be responsible. And if the state has the backbone, it can do a whole lot. But whether it has the backbone is the operative phrase.”
MBAs = Aid to the Enemy?
Fox News: A public university in the American heartland spent more than two decades educating executives tied to China's military-industrial complex through a business program that allegedly received taxpayer support, a new watchdog report claims. The report, titled Heartland for Hire, compiled by the geopolitical research firm Strategy Risks, alleges that Missouri State University (MSU) operated an MBA and Executive MBA pipeline that trained more than 1,500 Chinese executives, government officials and state-owned enterprise managers beginning in 2001, including personnel connected to China's defense sector.
· One MOScouter: If this was MIZZOU, we’d be holding hearings and yanking taxpayer dollars!
Parson Closeout Audit
Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick issued his closeout audit of the governor’s office under Mike Parson. Find it here. Among the findings…
· The Governor's office… paid travel costs for the Governor for non-business purposes that did not appear necessary to office operations or a reasonable use of state funds. The Governor made 16 flights to various destinations in the state for purposes that included book signing events for his commemorative biography, during 2024.
· The Governor's office made payments to top level employees for compensatory time that was not in compliance with state regulations.
· The Governor's office provided tuition reimbursements to employees for coursework and fees that were not allowed by office policy and/or state policy, and/or not approved in accordance with office and state policies.
Fitz did the former governor a favor by releasing this audit ahead of a holiday weekend to bury its impact.
Lobbyist Registrations
Olivia Wilson added Two Story.
$5K+ Contributions
Missouri Promise PAC (pro-A5) - $1,000,000 from America Advancement Inc (Hyattsville, MD).
Missouri Promise PAC - $300,000 from American Policy Coalition (Columbus, OH).
Missourians for Fair Governance (anti-A4) - $799,999 from Missouri Association of REALTORS.
Missourians for Fair Governance - $364,706 from Protect Majority Rule Missouri.
Protect Majority Rule Missouri (anti-A4) - $100,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.
Citizens for State Parks Soil and Water (pro-A1) - $75,000 from Conservation Federation of Missouri.
Her Health, Her Future PAC (pro-A3) - $55,650 from Drury Displays Inc.
Missourians for Fair Taxation (anti-A5) - $7,500 from Missourians for Fair Governance.
BUTZ STL PAC(pro-Butz) - $25,000 from Rex Sinquefield.
BUTZ STL PAC - $25,000 from Crawford-Butz and Associates.
BUTZ STL PAC - $7,000 from Missouri Senior PAC.
BUTZ STL PAC - $6,000 from Missouri Growth PAC.
Central Missouri Leadership PAC (pro-Veit) - $10,000 from Missouri and Kansas Laborers PAC.
Lead the Way PAC (pro-Vogel) - $10,000 from NEMO Leadership PAC.
KERI PAC (pro-Ingle) - $50,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas PAC.
Cut the Bull PAC (pro-Deering) - $50,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council MO-KS Area PAC.
Rural Missouri Values PAC (pro-Ed Lewis) - $25,000 from NEMO Leadership PAC.
Rocker P Brand PAC (pro-Pollitt) - $20,000 from PENN Entertainment (Wyomissing, PA).
Conservative Leadership for Southeast Missouri (pro-Bean) - $25,000 from Paul L Vogel.
Citizens For Kurt Bahr - $20,000 from Real Conservatives for St. Charles County PAC.
Real Action PAC (pro-Christ) - $7,000 from RKO Capital LLC.
Better Days PAC (pro-Days) - $15,000 from BUILD St. Louis PAC, Inc.
Missouri Senate Campaign Committee - $10,000 from Brad PAC.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $30,000 from Cheyenne International LLC.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $8,000 from Excelsior PAC.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $20,000 from CN-MO PAC.
Legio XIII PAC - $30,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of Missouri LLC (Effingham, IL).
Protect NEMO Values PAC - $5,100 from Missouri Soybean Association.
Protect NEMO Values PAC - $10,000 from Certified Medical LLC.
Protect Freedom and Democracy - $6,100 from Progress MO.
Treatment Now PAC - $10,000 from Assisted Recovery Centers.
PG PAC - $12,000 from The Penman Group.
FCA PAC - $200,000 from Accel Entertainment Gaming LLC (Bollingbrook, IL).
SEMO Veteran Remembrance PAC - $15,000 from Francis Robinson.
SEMO Veteran Remembrance PAC - $20,000 from Ed Robinson.
MO-DSV PAC - $101,969 from Missouri Health Care Association.
RQC PAC - $106,132 from Missouri Health Care Association.
VGS PAC - $10,000 from Spire Missouri Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Susan Montee.