MOScout Daily Update: Legislators Threaten to Impeach SCOMO - A3 Campaigns Talking Different Issues - The Coming Flock Debate and more…
Map Fight Continues
It’s another day of court fights over the redistricting map. It’s incredible the amount of energy that’s being spent on something no Missourian cared about.
But President Donald Trump – scared of a Democratic Congress investigating him – pushed states to redraw congressional lines in the middle of the decade. Of course, Dem states immediately adopted the same strategy. And Missouri Republicans – scared of Trump – tried to be good team players went along for the ride.
Today…
· 9AM: The deadline set by Justice Brett Kavanaugh for a response to People Not Politicians request to stay the district court’s temporary restraining order.
· 10AM: Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is due before the Missouri Supreme Court to explain why he’s instructed clerks to use HB 1 map. Watch the proceedings here.
Legislators to SCOMO: We’ll Impeach You!
Legislators sent a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court saying that “contempt against the Secretary for obeying that TRO would itself be a violation of the constitutional order this Court is sworn to uphold… Should Secretary Hoskins be held in contempt, we will petition the Speaker of the House and legislative leadership to begin impeachment proceedings against the responsible members of this Court for willful neglect of duty, incompetency, and misconduct under Article VII, Sections 1 and 2 of the Missouri Constitution.”
The letter was signed by Sens. Jason Bean, Rick Brattin, Ben Brown, Jamie Burger, Jill Carter, Brad Hudson, Joe Nicola, Adam Schnelting, and Curtis Trent, and Reps. Hardy Billington, Mike McGirl, Jeff Myers, Chad Perkins, and Bob Titus.
Money Watch
· Speaker-designate Alex Riley’s PAC sent $200,000 into the House Republican Campaign Committee coffers.
· J & J Ventures added $50,000 to Rep. Brad Christ’s Real Action PAC.
A3 Messaging Divide
Listening to the two campaigns on Amendment 3, you might not know they’re talking about the proposal. The first two TV ads from Stop the Ban, the anti-Amendment 3 campaign, are focused entirely on the issue of abortion…
· Ashley: I love being a mom and my children are the absolute joy of my life. I faced a dangerous pregnancy complication and I needed abortion care to save my life. Now politicians in Missouri are trying to take that right away from us…
· Reasons: Here's three reasons to vote no. Reason one, Amendment 3 bans abortion all over again… Reason two, Amendment 3 overturns the will of the people… Reason three, Amendment 3 puts lawyers and politicians in charge of health care decisions and threatens to throw doctors in prison. That's three reasons to vote no on 3, to stop the abortion ban.
Meanwhile the Her Health, Her Future PAC, the pro-A3 campaign, doesn’t even mention abortion in their ad. But it does mention sex change surgeries – three times.
It starts with drag queen story hour and ends with children under the knife. Irreversible sex change surgeries on minors. That’s the goal of the trans extremists, and they’re backed with millions in liberal New York money. Amendment 3 stops them. A Yes vote will protect our children from sex change surgeries and puberty blockers. Kids don’t understand the consequences of sex change surgeries. Vote yes to protect Missouri kids permanently. Vote Yes on Amendment 3.
And the Her Health, Her Future website similarly has an emphasis on the trans issue with, for example, an article that “Sophie Cunningham Is Right: Women’s Sports Are for Women.”
Kane on Flock
Former Speaker Elijah Haahrinterviewed Glenn Jacobs earlier this week on his radio show.
WWE legend Glenn Jacobs (whose stage name was Kane) is a Truman State grad. But he’s also in line to be appointed U.S. Senator from Tennessee if the current Tennessee Senator, Marsha Blackburn, wins the gubernatorial election in November 2026.
Jacobs spoke about the dangers of Flock, invoking a surveillance-state dystopian future: Once they become so prevalent that literally there’s no place you can go without cameras watching you, that becomes a big problem. I went through COVID as a mayor. And I can only imagine what, say, the state of California would have done if they’d have had this technology back then as far as making people stay at home. You’d literally have had to have a permission slip to go to the grocery store. And that ain’t America.
This comes as the Freedom Caucus issued a “call to action” for the 2027 General Assembly to take up the issue. “Missourians did not consent to being tracked and catalogued every time they leave their driveway. It’s time to clip Flock’s wings and restore the Fourth Amendment.”
But… when the issue gets debated next year, police will surely testify to the cameras’ importance as a crime-solving tool. Law enforcement organizations are a potent political constituency, and they have deep-pocketed backers like Mike Rayner.
This points to a likely compromise on the issue rather than any outright ban of the cameras.
· Flock is represented by Catalyst in Jefferson City.
Sharpe Raises Money for Future Reps
Sen-elect Greg Sharpe’s fundraiser over Veto Session next week will raise money for his incoming state representatives…
MO and the Trade War with Canada
The Wall Street Journal, in an article about which states are “on the front lines” of the trade war with Canada, lists Missouri as one of the top states. Canada buys a third of our exports…
Lobbyist Registrations
Scott Swain added J&J Ventures Gaming LLC.
Jason Wood added Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City.
Sammy Panettiere and Derek Coats added Nebius, Inc.
$5K+ Contributions
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $200,000 from Missouri Leadership PAC.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $9,884 from Friends of Chris Howard.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $5,450 from Beverly PAC.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $15,000 from HTH Companies, Inc.
Bootheel Values PAC (pro-Burger) - $20,000 from Jeffrey Smith.
Real Action PAC - $50,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of Missouri, LLC (Effingham, IL).
Her Health, Her Future PAC - $44,940 from Drury Displays Inc.
Senate Democratic Campaign Committee - $10,000 from Greater St. Louis Labor Council.
Southwest Conservative PAC - $5,500 from LOZ Missouri PAC.
Missouri Voter Project - State PAC - $25,000 from Laura Flynn (Minneapolis, MN).
Missouri Leadership Forum - $15,000 from Site System Landscaping.
County Government PAC - $9,606 from Missouri State Assessors Assn PAC.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Erika Leonard, Jill Kline, and Tom Madden.