MOScout Daily Update: Henderson Enters Floor Race - Derges Seeks Trump Pardon - Veto Session Schedule and more…
Henderson Jumps Into Floor Race
In a letter to colleagues, Sen. Mike Henderson announced a bid for floor leader. See the letter here.
Let me make one commitment clear. We have all watched good bills get hijacked, rewritten, or traded away. That will not happen under my watch. No deal involving your legislation will be cut without your knowledge and your approval — not once, not on a deadline night, not for any reason.
I'm running because we can build a floor operation that moves. Our standard should be narrowly drawn bills that stay within the intent of their titles, moving early and moving often. For too long, Missouri policy has been born in the executive branch and buried in the judiciary. The only way we take our authority back is by doing the work ourselves — real floor time early in session, clean bills, debated policies, and a floor schedule that matches the hours you've put into your priorities.
What It Means
Henderson joins Sens. Nick Schroer and Jamie Burger in this race – with Sen. Brad Hudson still eyeing a leadership bid.
This vote will occur the Thursday after the November elections. Newly elected senators will vote in the election. While the race is fluid, it appears unlikely anyone would muster a majority on a first vote
Veto Session Fundraisers
Here’s a list of fundraisers today and tomorrow. It’s downloadable. I’ve tried my best to gather them all up.
Lobbyists will be hopping from place to place, but so will candidates. For example, Bill Hardwick’s schedule…
· 3 PM – Bar Whiskey for a fundraiser Sen. Jason Bean is holding in support of Republican Senate candidates.
· 5:30PM – MSMA with GOP Senate candidates Sam Alexander, JP, and Melanie Stinnett.
· 6PM – Missouri Realtors with Sens. Ben Brown, Jill Carter, and Brad Hudson.
· 7PM – Back to Bar Whiskey with other Sophia Shore candidates.
La Strada to Hoskins: J’Accuse!
Nicholas La Strada, former Director of Election Integrity, filed suit against his former employer Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, alleging that he was fired after reporting illegal activity in the office.
When Plaintiff reported the Office’s improper use of public funds for political mail, he was stripped of his access to the statewide voter registration system. When Plaintiff told Defendant Hoskins that only a court can change a certified election result and that the Office could not threaten the City of Marshall’s officials into accepting a winner the Office declared, he was ignored. When Plaintiff witnessed the Secretary’s Chief of Staff and the State Auditor’s Chief of Staff plan to create a “fabricated whistleblower submission” – to be routed through an “IP scrambler” and a “burner” phone to falsely accuse others of violations of the law – he objected, reported it to General Counsel, who called it a possible “federal crime,” and then reported it to Defendant Hoskins himself . . . twice. Defendant Hoskins investigated no one in that room.
SBOE Watch
The State Board of Education meets today. A couple items on their agenda are getting attention.
· First, the proposal to create A-F scorecards for schools. This has been a priority for Governor Mike Kehoe, and despite pushback from some educators, it looks like it’s moving forward.
· Second, the Board is scheduled to vote today on DESE’s FY2028 budget request. An earlier version included $2.6 million in new state funding for adult education. DESE said the legislatively mandated teacher-pay increase had forced the program to reduce class sites to stay within budget, resulting in 1,128 fewer students being served. DESE said the additional money would remedy that. But the $2.6 million request has disappeared from the final proposal. DESE retained a separate $1.5 million request for authority to spend available federal money, but the state funding is gone. It is not even listed among the requests considered but not recommended.
Vance Weighs in on Redistricting
Vice President JD Vance weighed in on Missouri’s redistricting battle. See his remarks here.
“If the Supreme Court wants to step in and change things, they should have changed things back then. And given that they’ve let these maps exist during the primary election, it seems to make sense to let them exist for the general.”
Derges Seeks Trump Pardon
The Springfield News-Leader reports that “after spending more than three years in federal prison for fraud, a former Missouri state lawmaker has been granted supervised release and is seeking a pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump.”
· Tricia Derges, elected to Missouri House of Representatives in 2020, founded and operated several medical clinics in southwest Missouri. In 2022, she was found guilty of 22 charges related to financial fraud, illegally providing prescription drugs and lying to patients at her clinics.
Non-Committee Expenditures
· Health Forward Foundation spent $137,500 with GPS Impact for a social-media influencer and amplification program opposing Proposition A, the congressional-map referendum.
· Americans for Prosperity is canvassing and running digital ads in targeted legislative races: JP in Senate 8, Melanie Stinnett in Senate 30, Mary Ellen Murphy in House 94, Phil Oehlerking in House 100, Ben Keathley in House 101, Russ Gosselin in House 132, and Jerry Angelo in House 133.
Lobbyist Registrations
Tom Dempsey and Dave Berry added St. Charles Community College.
Blake Murray deleted Missouri Association of Landscape Architects, and Missouri Society of Professional Engineers.
$5K+ Contributions
1776 PAC (pro-Schroer) - $26,000 from Missouri Law Enforcement for Good Government PAC.
1776 PAC - $26,000 from MCR PAC.
1776 PAC - $20,000 from Richard Pogue.
1776 PAC - $15,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council MO-KS Area PAC.
1776 PAC - $10,000 from Sports Betting Alliance (Lubbock, TX).
1776 PAC - $6,500 from MHA Pac for Health.
Lori Rook for Missouri - $25,000 from Lori Rook.
Great Northwest PAC (pro-Rusty Black) - $20,000 from Mark Monheiser.
Putting People First PAC (pro-Hinman) - $10,000 from Missouri Law Enforcement for Good Govt PAC.
KC Forward Progress - $100,000 from Together KC.
GPG PAC - $25,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of Missouri LLC (Effingham, IL).
Missouri Taxpayers Union - $11,850 from National Taxpayers Union (Washington, DC).
Prop L Supporters - $10,000 from James Yankee.
21st Century St. Louis PAC - $10,000 from Hunter Engineering Company.
MIC PAC - $10,000 from Barton Mutual Insurance Company.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Holly Rehder, Connie Farrow, and Ray Bozarth.