MOScout Daily Update: Morgan Out in CD-2? - $$$ Flowing into Galloway PAC - Anderson for County Commish - Dems Ding GOP on Diversity and more...
$$$ Start to Flow into Galloway PAC
In the large contributions, there’s a spurt of big money heading into Keep Government Accountable. That’s the PAC aligned with Auditor Nicole Galloway.
A little over $50,000 came in from unions and a law firm. These are the stalwart Democratic constituencies. But Galloway has a long way to go to close the money gap with the incumbent.
MOScout Daily Update: Scorched Earth Coming to Senate 25? - Scism in Senate 3? - Behind Google's Announcement - Barnes to O'Laughlin and more...
Barnes to O’Laughlin
With the departure of Paul Curtman to Wisconsin, Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin has hired Fred Barnes to be her new chief of staff. Barnes comes from Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer’s office where he served as legislative assistant last session.
MOScout Daily Update: Kelly Gives $100K in Senate 33 - Roberts Unveils Endorsements in Senate 5 - Green Light for Bonding - Loudons Back in Spotlight and more...
Senate 33: Kelly Antes Up
In the race to succeed Sen. Mike Cunningham, Van Kelly put $100K into his campaign committee. Kelly is a former state representative. Follow him on Twitter here.
He faces Rep. Robert Ross (see his bio here) in the Republican primary.
MOScout Daily Update: Trump = MO GOP Primary Gold - Anti-Immigration MO GOP Spear-Point? - Quade Ask for Medicaid Inquiry - New IP and more...
Trump = GOP Primary Gold
What stands out from last week’s MOScout poll on Senate 29 isn’t the relative numbers of the two largely unknown Republican candidates. It’s the towering approval number of President Donald Trump with Republican primary voters.
Q1: What is your opinion Donald Trump?
Favorable: 82%
Unfavorable: 14%
No opinion: 4%
MOScout Weekender: WaPo on Opioid Epidemic - MOScout Poll on Senate 29 - WWTW - Hallway Sees No Overrides and more....
WaPo on The Opioid Epidemic
Washington Post has a map of the United States that shows how many opioid pills were shipped to each county, annually per capita. See it here. It’s frightening.
Southeast Missouri has some of the highest rates…
Butler County: 99.7 pills per person per year.
Pemiscot County: 89.3 pills per person per year.
Dunklin County: 85.5 pills per person per year.
Scott County: 79.6 pills per person per year.
Ripley County: 79.4 pills per person per year.
Mississippi County: 67.8 pills per person per year.
MOScout Daily Update: House Looks at Local Taxes - Juden Attacks Audit Draft - LG Office Audit - Skelton in Senate 19? and more...
Interim Committee on Local Taxes
Speaker Elijah Haahr formed the Interim Committee on Oversight of Local Taxation to see how “local governments are determining taxes and are impacted by current tax policy.” Rep. J. Eggleston is chairing the committee. See the committee members here.
What It Means
The Republican-dominated General Assembly, after a decade of cutting state taxes, is increasingly turning its gaze to the local governments. In the tug-of-war between conservative banners of “low taxes” and “local control,” taxes seems to be winning.
MOScout Daily Update: No Dems in Senate 19? - G-Men Talk to OA - DOR's RFP and more...
The Easy Part
Governor Mike Parson signed Executive Order 19-13 “creating the Missouri Health Insurance Innovation Task Force. The Governor’s action aims to curb rising healthcare premiums and increase access and competition in health insurance markets for all Missourians…The Task Force is challenged to develop concepts that will improve access to affordable insurance options and healthcare services within the state while reducing the state’s uninsured rates, with an emphasis on increasing access to healthcare in rural areas of the state.”
MOScout Daily Update: Bayer to Add Jobs - Chapel Not on Ballot? - RAGA Hearts Schmitt? and more...
E-Tailing Keeps Growing
The Missouri legislature was unable to implement an internet sales tax last session, but e-tailer Amazon hasn’t stopped growing.
· Prime Day just ended with approximately $5.8 billion in sales, up from $4.1 billion last year.
MOScout Daily Update: Top Political War-Chests - Parson Hits $4M, Schmitt at $1M - Lavender Takes Money Lead in Senate 15 and more...
Yesterday was the filing deadline for the July fundraising quarter.
Top Cash on Hand
Uniting Missouri PAC - $2,885,364
Parson For Missouri - $1,149,893
Carpenters Help in the Political Process (CHIPP) – $1,079,745
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. PAC - $1,023,515
Eastern Missouri Laborers Educational & Benevolent Fund - $1,012,742
MOScout Daily Update: Parson Raises $114K - Early Override Talk - Senate 25 Simmers - CL PAC Hearts Rehder? and more....
Rhoads Terminates Committee
Former Rep. Shawn Rhoads terminated his candidate committee, spending down the final $9K that was in the account since he resigned. The report’s expenditures included a fair number of charitable contributions as well as an office equipment expense. Rhoads recently registered to lobby.
MOScout Weekender: Parson Vetoes - Poll on Dem Prez Preference - Hallway on Dem Prez - WWTW and more...
MOScout Poll: Parson – Dem Prez Preference
Survey conducted July 10 through July 11. 1,122 likely 2020 Democratic Primary Election voters participated in the survey. Margin of Error is +/-3%.
Q1: Possible candidates in the 2020 Democratic Primary for President are Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang. If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?
Joe Biden: 43%
Kamala Harris: 13%
Elizabeth Warren: 15%
MOScout Daily Update: Sherod in Senate 5 - Parson Signs More Bills - Hawley to the Border and more...
Driving the Day
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will travel to McAllen, Texas to get a firsthand look at the crisis at the southern border. The group will meet with Vice President Mike Pence and participate in a tour of the border led by the Department of Homeland Security.
MOScout Daily Update: Early July Quarters Schmitt PAC, Cole in Senate 29 - Parson Signs Tort, GM Bills and more...
Gamble Joins Gamble & Schlemeier
In the lobbyist registrations today, Bill Gamble’s son, Jack Gamble, is joining Gamble & Schlemeier. Daughter Katie Gamble is already walking the halls, along with Schlemeier sprig, Sarah Schlemeier.
MOScout Daily Update: Referendum Strategy - Greitens' Narrative - Silverman Joins Tilley's Firm - Criminal Justice Reform and more...
HB 126 Referendum
There is an alternative strategy which opponents could embrace: drop the HB 126 referendum, and pursue a constitutional amendment for 2020. The benefits of this would be…
· The campaign would no longer be under ticking clock to gather signatures by the end of summer.
· The ballot language could be crafted to maximize the odds of success.
· The constitutional protection would prevent future legislative attacks.
MOScout Daily Update: ACLU Wins Round in Court - Ingle Kicks Off - Beetem Hearts Confide and more....
HB 126 Referendum Ruling
While this was a victory of the ACLU, the ruling did little to clear the obstacles that remain in their effort to hold a referendum on HB 126.
· Opponents of the abortion bill worry that the AG’s office and SOS’s office will slow-mo their duties – perhaps even appealing the court’s decision to the Supreme Court. Every delay will devour increasingly critical time to collect the necessary signatures.
· Once the signatures are collected, one must assume that Ashcroft will again reject the petition on the same grounds he just did.
MOScout Daily Update: Haahr Schatz File HB126 Amicus Brief - Rehder Jabs Swan - Wallingford for House - MMJ Apps - Nixon Contra MU and more...
Driving the Day
10AM this morning, oral arguments will be heard in the Western District Court of Appeals for ACLU v. Ashcroft. This is the latest round in the saga around HB 126.
Speaker Elijah Haahr, Senate Pro Tem Dave Schatz and bill sponsor Nick Schroer have joined the case in support of Ashcroft. They filed an amicus brief in their official capacities of members and officers of the MO General Assembly. They’re defending Ashcroft’s actions, saying their unique insight will help the Court understand the validity of their use of the emergency clause.
MOScout Daily Update: Dunn for Senate 9? - Sifton Endorses Galloway - PP's AHC Hearing Postponed - O'Laughlin on Tax Credits and more....
Sifton Endorses Galloway
Dems took an important step toward 2020 unity yesterday as Sen. Scott Sifton, who previously expressed interest in a gubernatorial run, endorsed Auditor Nicole Galloway for that race.
Speculation will not rumble around Sifton and what seat he will pursue instead.
The best guess is that Sifton ends up in the lieutenant governor or treasurer spot. Those two incumbents – Mike Kehoe and Scott Fitzpatrick – were appointed and haven’t run statewide. Therefore they presumably have the lowest name ID and will be the easiest targets.
We’ll see….
MOScout Daily Update: Gas Tax Day (not in MO) - Rowland's $100K Explained - Mathews to Medicaid Effort and more...
Mathews Joins Medicaid Transformation Effort
Former Rep. Kirk Mathews writes on LinkedIn… I am privileged to have the opportunity to assist Missouri Medicaid Director, Todd Richardson in transforming our state Medicaid program. Medicaid represents one-third of our state budget...
MOScout Daily Update: Abortion Summer - Kelley Profiled - Rowland's Check - Gross' LGTBQ Plan and more....
Abortion Quagmire
Governor Mike Parson’s quick and quiet bill-signing of HB 126 appeared to be designed to give his base a win, while limiting the amount of political oxygen it took from his administration’s focus on workforce development and infrastructure. Instead the issue has become a lightning rod, sucking up all the attention of the past five weeks. And it will likely stay in the center ring for the rest of the summer.
MOScout Weekender: Parson Leads Galloway - Hallway on Greatest Threats to Parson Re-elect - MMJ Coming to Bars? - WWTW and more...
MMJ Shop in Bar?
Medical marijuana in entertainment venues.As in, have a drink, buy some pot, go see the concert… Springfield News Leader reports that “a medical marijuana dispensary could be coming soon to the heart of downtown Springfield.The Outland's owners announced this week that they want to turn a section of the South Avenue bar and music venue into a dispensary in the coming months…