That would eye opening.

I wonder if the lawyers are contributing to the other candidates as well?  

I like bladewsitcher's comment that they should all publish who is supporting them and how much.

Candidates are required to report their contributors and that information is made public through the Missouri Ethics Commission (and the Federal Election Commision). Individuals may only contribute a modest amount ($2,600 IIRC) directly to a candidate for Missouri statewide office, so it's unlikely those kinds of checks are going to "buy" a politician. That's a bit of a facade, though. These days, the big money is in political action committees (PAC).

There are PACs for everything. Every campaign has a PAC. Every industry and interest group has a PAC, if not several. The PACs can contribute directly to candidates and spend money to support them. Contributions to and expenditures by PACs are reported and part of the public record, but there's no limit to how many PACs an individual can contribute to.

Since the Citizen's United Supreme Court decision, campaigns have relied on so-called Super PAC 501(c)(4) non-profit entities to shore up their spending. These organizations are not required to disclose their donors and are only subject to minimal and vague rules about how they spend their money. Super PACs can't coordinate with candidates but they can sure spend money to support them. This is generally what is referred to as dark money.

Never forget, the politicians write the campaign finance laws. They're going to get their money and the folks who want to influence elected officials will always find ways to do it. In the end, it becomes a huge shell game and the money trail gets lost in a labyrinth of official sounding entities, all perfectly legal, which serve mainly to obscure where the money is coming from and where it's going.

It's a big club and we're not in it.

Absolutely

Watching this thread with great interest...My wife and I moved to MO three years ago from NH and I am still trying to figure out some of the political stuff here.

NH was way more up close and personal when it came to politics. I ran for state rep about 5 years ago in NH and lost by 6 votes . NH has 400 representatives for 1.2 million people and so you can pretty much guarantee you know your rep personally. Unfortunately the guy that beat me out had to resign because he liked physically assaulting people (claimed PTSD). By that time I had decided to move here as the political state of NH was and is close to being upended. NH is not a conservative state like it once was when I was growing up there. It's fully purple, bordering on blue. If they get a Dem governor, it'll be pretty much over for NH and all of New England will be dem controlled.

From the research I've done in the past month or so, I'm leaning toward Eigle or Kehoe but still not sure yet. I HATE RINOs so I'm trying to figure out which one of these characters is the least RINO-esque. There is so much conflicting information out there. I like what I have seen and read about Eigle but some other stuff about him I see is concerning.

I'll keep researching I guess...I don't want to not vote.

If by RINO you mean traditional Republicans — pro-business, chamber of commerce types who have no interest in dismantling government — then you won’t like either Kehoe or Ashcroft. Both of the leading candidates represent the status quo. If you want someone who will shake things up then Eigel is probably your guy.

Speaking of obscuring campaign contributions, here's an interesting story regarding Kehoe and his campaign bus. The bus is owned by a lobbyist -- who just happens to represent Chinese-owned Smithfield Farms, among several dozen other clients. Apparently, Kehoe thought that would be a bad look so he paid to rent the bus himself and reported an in-kind donation from himself rather than having the record show a lobbyist for a Chinese company provided the bus . . .

Kehoe campaign for Missouri governor riding on bus owned by lobbyist for Chinese pork producer

Yep, I agree with your assessment. After the last general election I switched from Republican to Independent...I am a Conservative, nothing else. Very few of the Republicans ring my bell any longer. Eff the RINOs. I know I won't agree with every point of every candidate but JFC but some are really out there.

I really don't like any of the three.

Do you like roller derby?

I'm indifferent.

The (liberal) Independent website featured Eigel this morning:

Bill Eigel vows to slash budget, round up immigrants if elected Missouri governor



ETA:

Head's up. If you want to get your primary vote out of the way, you can go to the courthouse and vote absentee without an excuse for the next two weeks. You don't have to declare a reason for voting early. You just go vote.

I like what the article reads!

Learned Friday that I have to travel for work on Aug 5-6 so for the first time ever I voted early, on Monday.  

Eigle received my vote.  

I'm certain the other 2 are swampy, I only wonder if he is.  Kind of like Trump in '16:  sure of the opponent and not sure what we're getting with him though.  Worth the gamble since the other 2 are certain.  

Kehoe critizing Ashcroft as supporting China while he [Kehoe] rides around in a bus owned by one of China's lobbists.  

Considering Eigle is the only candidate that's been sued by Trump, saying he's "kind of like Trump" is probably a stretch.

A cease and desist letter sent to a PAC that was that Eigel did not control is hardly "Trump sued Bill Eigel".

^
This.  


Trump's organization is obligated to 'protect' Trump's image.  All that happened is some yahoo [not Eigel] used Trump's name without permission and his campaign told them to stop.  Truely a nothing-burger and no reflection on Eigel at all.

Excuse me.

Threatened to sue Eigel for deliberately hiring a crooked fundraising company.

Still.  Not MAGA.

I'd appreciate your source for your information.  

And please, tell me, who is more MAGA in the MO race?  

Thanks

https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/02/eigel-scharf-fundraising-missouri-trump/

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/23/trump-to-gop-firms-stop-using-my-image-or-your-clients-will-suffer-00088649

As for who's more MAGA - I guess we'll see who gets Trump's endorsement.

It won't be Eigel.

Thanks for the info, neither changed my mind.  

I do wonder if Trump will endorse anyone?  No need to do so after the primary.  

Also wonder why you think it won't be Eigel?  Seems more Trump compatible Eigle than either of the other two but it is true that politics makes strange bedfellows.

I didn’t expect to reason you out of a position you didn’t reason yourself in to.

It won’t be Eigel because, realistically, it’s a two person race right now. Despite all the out of state money he’s raised it’s only a pittance to Kehoe and Ashcroft. And despite all of his bluster he’s not even hitting half their polling numbers.

Eigels a non starter.

Somebody should tell Eigel that the illegal aliens in Missouri are picking fruits and vegetables and working the lines at the pork and chicken processing plants.

I came to post this article. Really having a hard time deciding between the 3. Ashcroft is the swamp, Kehoe reeks of swamp, and apparently supports China, and Eigel just seems like a liar, however he did try and pass a bill earlier this year trying to ban foreign entities from owning land within 500 miles of a Military base. I do not believe him for a second when he says he will get rid of personal property tax.

And those employers should follow the law and do the I9s on their employees.  I employ about 10 Mexicans, I did the I9 process on all of them.  They are great workers and I pay them $18 an hour legitimately.

Yep. Make it painful for businesses and individuals who hire undocumented workers.

But either way, I imagine there are very few illegal immigrants receiving welfare or other government benefits in Missouri, which is what Eigel seems to be suggesting (or at least promising to end).

It that a joke?  You are advocating breaking employment laws because it's too painful to pay taxes?

Those businesses paying their employees under the table are also not paying withholding, social security, unemployment, benefits, etc giving them an unfair and illegal advantage over those us us that are scared of the what the IRS can do to our legitimate businesses.

This just fuels the border problem as their are people in this country willing to hire "undocumenteds".  If there aren't jobs for them, they won't come across the border.....or if they do, they'll get a green card like they're supposed to.

How did you get that out of "Make it painful for businesses and individuals who hire undocumented workers" ? If you assumed I was being sarcastic, you assumed incorrectly. I agree with you that we SHOULD prosecute employers who hire illegals.

Today, the Independent looks at Mike Kehoe:

Mike Kehoe says he’s the only Missouri GOP gubernatorial candidate interested in governing


Scott Faughn's tipsheet for the week: https://themissouritimes.com/twmp-column-statewide-tipsheet/


Also, Scott Faughn interviewed Eigel in the cab of his pickup and posted it on X/Twitter. Click on the date to watch the video.

Last night I caught up with Senator @BillEigel on the #F150CampaignTour. We talked about the race, his strategy for the last two weeks, and how he plans to finish strong. pic.twitter.com/isaKGVafN3

Scott Faughn  (@scottfaughn) July 23, 2024

As it stands, China can't own land within 10 miles of a "critical military installation" because of an Executive Order signed by Parsons.

Eigel voted against an amendment blocking Chinese land buys in MO in 2019.

I would want to know more about the amendment he voted against and the bill it was being offered on before forming an opinion. Lots of times amendments are offered as part of political gamesmanship and a vote one way or another doesn't prove anything out of context.

That said, this whole farmland thing is a great example about how views and positions change over time. In 2013, when the law capping foreign farm ownership at 1% of state land passed, the big concern was saving jobs in northwest Missouri where Smithfield Foods looked like it would go broke if not purchased by the Chinese. The language of the bill allowed the Chinese to buy enough farmland to save northwest Missouri's largest employer but gave Republicans the cover to say that they were reigning in foreign ownership. If you go back and look, quite a few people who are clamoring about Chinese-owned land these days had no problem with it in 2013

The bill that expanded foreign ownership of Chinese farmland in 2013 passed out of a Republican-majority legislature but was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon:
Missouri governor veto of farmland bills could hamper Smithfield sale to China

The Republican-controlled legislature overrode Nixon's veto, arguing that limiting foreign ownership to 1 percent provided some clarity and enforceable limits:
Law allows 1 percent foreign ownership of farmland

FWIW, Senate Bill 9 (the foreign ownership bill from 2013) passed 23-7 in the Senate. Kehoe voted for it, along with nearly all the other Republicans (including the Republican chairman of the Agriculture Committee). Several Democrats opposed that bill. When the House-amended version of the bill initially came up for a vote in the House it passed 91 to 63, mostly along party lines with Republicans leading the support. Among the members voting in favor were Rick Brattin and Denny Hoskins. Both of those guys are part of the current Freedom Caucus and both make opposition to foreign farm ownership a big part of their campaigns today. When the final Truly Agreed version of the bill was third read and passed (133-21), Hoskins voted for it, but Brattin opposed (he voted for it before he voted against it). Bill Eigel was not in the legislature at that time.

Two years ago, there was a fascinating debate on the Senate floor about foreign ownership of farmland during one of the many Republican-on-Republican filibusters. Now a candidate for lieutenant governor Sen. Lincoln Hough (who operates a cattle farm) argued he should be free to sell his own property to whoever was willing to pay the highest price. Now gubernatorial candidate Sen. Bill Eigel made the usual argument against allowing America's enemies to own our land. Hough countered that it wasn't "our" land, it was HIS land and the government shouldn't be able to tell him what he could do with it. Hough was definitely outnumbered and pretty much stood alone as the political winds had shifted. But, it was a fascinating and really enjoyable debate. Again, politicians do seem to change their positions depending on which way the political wind blows. (The bill they were debating didn't cross the finish line, btw.)

Yes he did, however from what I understand that was an amendment that was added last minute, and several people didn't even know it had been added. Eigel sponsored a bill to bar foreign countries owning land in MO. More at link

Has Kehoe participated in a single debate during this election?

Voted early today.

It's Ashcroft's turn for an Independent profile:

Jay Ashcroft pitches biggest reorganization of Missouri’s finances in state history

West NewsMagazine gave each candidate, in races which have more than one candidate in them,  an opportunity to answer the same set of questions.  Here is a link:

https://www.westnewsmagazine.com/news/on-the-ballot-u-s-senator-representative-statewide-offices/article_38edcaf2-4833-11ef-8993-a311669fd9f6.html

MissouriNet has profiles on the top three Republican gubernatorial candidates:

Bill Eigel

Jay Ashcroft

Mike Kehoe

I keep hearing about "so and so" voted to raise taxes and to allow China to purchase Missouri Land.

I would like to see actual voting records on these 2 issues.

I'm leaning towards Ashcroft.

And what other things were in those bills might be an indication of why they voted the way they did.

This is why I hate politics/politicians.

You won't find any votes from Ashcroft, since he's never served in the legislature.

The bill to allow China to purchase farm land is Senate Bill 9 from 2013. If you click on the "All Actions" tab, you can find the various stages of getting the bill passed. It takes some digging, but it's all there.

Kehoe voted for the bill. Eigel was not a member of the legislature in 2013 so there's no vote on record for him. Also, you should be aware that the Chinese farmland legislation was widely supported by the Republican majority at the time. The Democrats mostly opposed the bill and the Democratic governor at the time vetoed the bill. The Republican legislature overrode his veto. At the time, the legislation was aimed at saving jobs in northwest Missouri.

Finding who voted to raise taxes is much more complicated because they could be referring to any number of bills over the years. Without knowing which specific bill they're talking about there's no way of checking.

One of the biggest tax increases in recent years was the gasoline tax hike from 2021. Kehoe was not a member of the Senate at the time so he didn't cast a vote on Senate Bill 262. He did support it and argued for its passage though. That's not really surprising since Kehoe was once chairman of the state highway commission. Eigel voted against the gas tax bill.

@Bladeswitcher

I do appreciate your insights and help.  Thank you!

This is big.....I get he endorsed all three, but not just going with the two front runners with name recognition and more money means a lot for the Eigel campaign and platform.

He endorsed all three? . . . Kind of like the time he endorsed "Eric" when there were two running. Why bother?

Attached File
Attached File

+1 Thanks Bladeswitcher.

Glad to offer what I (think I) know. Hope at least some of it has been useful.

I do think any insight I might have has a limited shelf life. There's going to be a big turn-over in the Senate this year and I won't know much about the new crew. Hopefully, the dysfunction we've seen in the Senate will diminish next year since some of the worst offenders will be gone.

I imagine the dysfunction won't be over.

I too really do appreciate all the time you spend on this topic.

I'm guessing Trump knows its a closer race then we might think, so he's covering his bet here.

Attached File


The hits keep coming for Kehoe

Ashcroft and Kehoe are neck and neck.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/governor/2024/missouri/republican-primary/

Marc Cox released his primary voter's guide this morning:


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nGat1ByTrxUc3TiMnxBt5IZ14kEg5OPntwncDkx82J4/view

STATEWIDE RACES:

GOVERNOR: BILL EIGEL
Lt. GOVERNOR: DAVID WASINGER
SECRETARY OF STATE: DENNY HOSKINS
STATE TREASURER: ANDREW KOENIG
ATTORNEY GENERAL: WILL SCHARF

US CONGRESS:
DISTRICT 2: PETER PFEIFER
DISTRICT 3: BOB ONDER

MISSOURI SENATE:
SENATE 23: ADAM SCHNELTING
SENATE 15: MARK HARDER

ST. LOUIS COUNTY COUNCIL:
DISTRICT 6: MIKE ARCHER

ST. CHARLES COUNTY COUNCIL:
DISTRICT 2: JOE BRAZIL