PoliticMo Rundown, Feb. 3: LAMPE LT. GOV. ANNOUNCEMENT? GOP struggles to fundraise? Carnahan districtless? McCaskill & the Post Office
LT. GOV. RACE ? And then there were three ? ?Lampe, third Democrat, to run for Lt. Governor,? PoliticMo: ?State Representative Sarah Lampe, D-Springfield, plans to announce her candidacy for Lt. Governor Monday in Springfield. Lampe will be the third Democrat to enter the race for the largely ceremonial office, following former State Rep. Judy Baker and former State Auditor Susan Montee. ? Lampe, a retired teacher, first won elected office in 2004 after unseating an incumbent. After eight years in the House, Lampe has reached her term limit.? http://bit.ly/x6xoCF ?
CA$H RACE ? ?Republicans trailing in Senate cash race,? Dave Catanese in POLITICO: ?Republicans are losing the money battle in four crucial majority-making Senate races. But they might win the war regardless. Senate hopefuls in Missouri, Montana, Wisconsin and Nebraska each turned in shoddy year-end fundraising totals, and in three of them, Democrats hold a commanding cash-on-hand advantage ? but GOP officials aren?t setting off alarm bells just yet. ??
?No state is more illustrative of this dynamic than Missouri. First-term Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) begins the year with a $2.6 million edge over her three GOP opponents, but operatives in both parties agree she will remain one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country. ? The trio gunning to replace her ? manufacturing CEO John Brunner, Rep. Todd Akin and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman ? combined to raise just over a third of what McCaskill took in during the final three months of the year. But strategists believe no amount of money can help McCaskill counteract the forces at play in Missouri: President Barack Obama is projected to lose the state by at least 5 to 7 points and could be a drag on the senator no matter which of her challengers emerges from the fray. ? Patrick Tuohey, a conservative blogger and operative in the Show-Me State, said the fundraising disparity is misleading and that donors are more inclined to give to a third-party group like American Crossroads until the primary sorts itself out. ? On top of outside forces, Brunner has shown an inclination to self-fund, having already dropped $1 million into the race.? http://bit.ly/xXlFKP
? MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM: ?Brunner and his wife, Jan, have assets worth at least $26 million and perhaps as much as $108 million, according to a personal financial report provided Friday to The Associated Press. That means Brunner would be one of the nation?s richest senators, if elected. And it could provide ammunition to political opponents if they want to portray Brunner as out of touch with the average American. ? A Brunner campaign spokesman said his wealth highlights a ?success story? that ?defines the American Dream.? ? McCaskill would have little room for criticism. The Center for Responsive Politics, which runs the website opensecrets.org, ranks McCaskill as the 11th wealthiest senator. Brunner?s wealth would put him ahead of McCaskill, perhaps around eighth.? http://wapo.st/zDuXIA
SANTORUM?S #MOSEN INPUT ? At multiple stops on his tour of Missouri on Friday, Santorum said if elected, he would need a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate to push his agenda through.? ?You folks here in Missouri could do something about that by replacing your current senator,? he said in Columbia.? The crowd ? a few hundred gathered at Grace Bible Church ? immediately stood in applause, and Dr. James Dobson, who joined Santorum at the event, said Santorum ?struck a nerve.? Santorum quipped, ?She strikes a nerve.??
DISTRICTLESS ? ?Missouri Court Decision Dings Carnahan,? Roll Call: ?A Missouri circuit court [Friday] ruled against a group of citizens hoping to overturn the Show-Me State?s Congressional redistricting maps on the grounds that they did not meet state constitutional muster. That?s bad news for Rep. Russ Carnahan, whose current district was essentially eliminated in last year?s redraw. ? In a statement, Carnahan indicated there would be an appeal to the state Supreme Court.? http://bit.ly/xJ3Cmu
? AG Chris Koster statement on the decision: ?The case involving the constitutionality of the new Missouri Congressional map presented difficult and novel legal issues.? While we have received a favorable ruling from the Circuit Court, we recognize that this is just the latest step in the process and the issue will likely return to the Missouri Supreme Court in the coming days for a final decision.? http://bit.ly/xJ3Cmu?
GOOD MONDAY MORNING, and welcome to this edition of PoliticMo Rundown. Send your tips, comments, and scoops to eli@politicmo.com.?
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL will be in Kansas City this morning to detail a new proposal to keep rural post offices open and maintain six day mail service.?
STATE REP. SARAH LAMPE kicks off her campaign for Lt. Governor today at 10:00 a.m. in Springfield.?
GOV. JAY NIXON, over the weekend, announced his ?Joplin Challenge? initiative, bringing together major Missouri sports momentum behind building 35 homes in Joplin. Nixon statement: ?I am proud that Missouri?s teams are leading the way once again by participating in the 2012 Governor?s Joplin Habitat Challenge, and I encourage all Missourians to get involved.? Together, we?ll directly tackle the critical issue of housing in Joplin by building 35 homes this year, and providing the resources for Habitat for Humanity to expand its mission in the years to come.? Please visit MO.gov today to learn how you can get involved.?
? joplinchallenge.mo.gov
? Photo of ESPN?s Dick Vitale and Gov. Nixon?s comm staff after the announcement event: http://bit.ly/zaQwnf
KOLR 10?TV in Springfield launched a new political blog called ?The Memo.? Check it out at ozarksfirst.com/politicalblog
POTUS 2012?? ?Among Missouri Republicans, Romney rakes it in,? Post-Dispatch: ?Mitt Romney outpaced other GOP presidential hopefuls and President Barack Obama in Missouri fundraising last year, drawing heavily from St. Louis-area business leaders the former Massachusetts governor began cultivating during his first run for the White House. ? Campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission last week show that Romney?s main campaign committee surpassed $1 million in receipts from Missouri last year, topping Obama?s nearly $800,000. About 70 percent of Obama?s money came from the greater St. Louis area. None of the other presidential hopefuls still campaigning did anywhere near as well. ??
?A ?super PAC? supporting Romney scored heavily in St. Louis in 2011 under the new rules of unlimited donations made possible by the Supreme Court?s Citizens United decision and other court rulings. ? All told, Restore our Future reported $30 million in donations last year, and several other St. Louis-area business leaders also were prominent contributors. David Spence, the wealthy St. Louis businessman seeking Missouri?s GOP nomination for governor, gave the pro-Romney super PAC a total of $45,000 in two increments last spring and summer. Restore Our Future received $20,000 each from developer Paul McKee and Don Musick, president of Musick Construction Co.? http://bit.ly/AbdKGd?
2012 LEGISLATING ?? ?Bill seeks drug tests for Missouri legislators,? Jason Hancock: ?Missouri lawmakers last year overwhelmingly approved legislation that mandated drug testing for some federal welfare recipients. ? This year, a Republican state representative from Harrisonville thinks its high time that lawmakers abide by the same standard. Rep. Rick Brattin has sponsored legislation that would require members of the General Assembly to be subject to random drug testing during the legislative session. Anyone who tests positive for illegal substances would be removed from office and prohibited from running for any elected office for two years. ? The bill has been assigned to the House General Laws Committee, but it has not yet been scheduled for a public hearing.? http://bit.ly/zg3e3o ?
EDUCATION EDITORIAL ? ?State must stop gutting Missouri?s universities,? Kansas City Star: ?It?s a sign of the times that the interim president of the University of Missouri System began his ?state of the university? message with a roundup of cost-saving measures. The four campuses saved $222 million over the last three years through steps such as fewer workers, deferred maintenance and energy savings, Steve Owens told the board of curators during its meeting in Kansas City. The system eliminated 29 degree programs. Its schools spend 21 percent less on administrative expenses than comparable public institutions around the nation.
?At the same time, all four campuses are serving increasing numbers of students. ? State leaders have underfunded the schools for more than a decade. Adjusted for inflation, Missouri?s funding for the operating budget of the University of Missouri system today is at 1984 levels. Out of necessity, and because of good leadership and smart thinking, Missouri?s leading universities are among the most lean and efficient in the nation. ??
?It is past time for Missouri to stop gutting its colleges and universities. Republican and Democratic legislators have expressed concern about Nixon?s proposed cuts. They should find a way to moderate them. If Nixon and lawmakers are serious about Missouri having ?an educated workforce to compete in the global economy,? as they repeatedly proclaim, they will get behind long-term funding solutions for higher education. ? It would be a refreshing shift to see the state?s leaders ? especially Nixon ? move from blaming the schools for the state?s higher education crisis to endorsing a way out of it.? http://bit.ly/yn9JGY
SPORTZ ? ?Haith tries to keep Mizzou focused for Oklahoma game,? KC Star: ?Just minutes after Saturday?s win over archrival Kansas ? easily one of Missouri?s most thrilling victories in recent memory ? Missouri coach Frank Haith revealed a surprising plan: The Tigers would be staying in a hotel, even though the game had been played in Columbia. The reason, Haith later explained, involved Missouri?s road game tonight against Oklahoma. ? Of course, this plan was not particularly popular with his players. ? And while his players were (understandably) still riding high after Saturday?s night win, they were at least saying the things their coach wanted to hear. ? Oklahoma will almost assuredly be ready. The Sooners were blasted by the Tigers 87-49 earlier this season in the Big 12 opener for both teams but get a chance for revenge tonight at the Lloyd Noble Center.? http://bit.ly/zY5grO
DESSERT ? ?Mizzou band can make a sonic boom,? Post-Dispatch: ?Mizzou is about to get a bass drum the size of a hotel hot tub. The 9-foot-tall, 800-plus-pound instrument, thought to be the largest in the country, was built at a Barnesville machine shop by a Gordon College music instructor. It took him four months. ? The builder, Neil Boumpani, his last name befitting of a percussionist, got a call last winter from a fraternity at Missouri. ? Prominent drum companies turned them down. They found Boumpani on the Internet. ? Purdue and Texas Tech have 8-foot drums, but as far as Boumpani knows, the only one larger is a 10-footer in China. Boumpani?s creation, which has cost close to $50,000 to make, has a fiberglass shell that was made from a custom mold in Alabama. An auto-body shop in Griffin, Ga., later painted it metallic-black. The plastic, 108-inch drum heads on either side cost $1,500 apiece. He plans to ship the drum to Missouri soon. But not before he records its low boom to remember it by.? http://bit.ly/xPXlEl
Source: http://politicmo.tumblr.com/post/17151901753
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