Democratic Insider
July 10, 2023
Friends,
This week, the governor signed more than 31 pieces of legislation into law and vetoed one. Of those bills signed into law, was SB106, championed by Senator Lauren Arthur (District 17/Part of Clay County). According to bill language found on Senate.mo.gov currently, low-income pregnant and postpartum women receiving benefits through MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women or Show-Me Healthy Babies are eligible for pregnancy-related coverage throughout the pregnancy and for 60 days following the end of the pregnancy. Under this act, MO HealthNet coverage for these low-income women will include full Medicaid benefits for the duration of the pregnancy and for one year following the end of the pregnancy. Congratulations to Sen. Arthur, and Missouri women.
Missouri will receive $1.7 billion The Biden administration on Monday announced $42.45 billion to connect all Americans to high-speed broadband internet by the end of the decade, likening the ambitious goal to FDR’s New Deal-era rural electrification program that brought the then-modern technology to farms and rural areas across the United States. Read more at MissouriIndependent.com
JOIN THE PARTY
Become a Missouri Democratic Party Member today! We need you to invest in our Party! With your support we can build our county parties, foster relationships with community organizations, support our legislators in Jefferson City as they fight for us, and provide candidates with training and resources. Click here to join! For more information, email Info@missouridems.org.
FAKE NEWS: Patrick Henry Never said That! Josh Hawley Busted After Using Fake Founding Father Quote To Push Religious AgendaThe Missouri senator gets called out on Twitter over a quote he falsely attributed to Patrick Henry. Josh Hawley is under fire for a Fourth of July tweet that managed to include both a false claim and a false quote. Hawley tweeted a quote he claimed to be from Founding Father Patrick Henry saying the United States was founded “on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Just one problem: Henry ― a slave owner perhaps best remembered for his “give me liberty or give me death” quote ― never said it. Read more at HuffPost.com
ACLU sues top MO election official Ashcroft over ‘misleading’ abortion rights ballot summary The ACLU of Missouri is seeking a new ballot summary for a proposed initiative petition that would restore abortion rights in Missouri, where the procedure is banned. The civil liberties group on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, accusing the Republican of crafting a misleading and unfair summary that would encourage Missourians to vote against the ballot measure. Ashcroft is running for governor in 2024. Read more at KansasCity.com
Memo shows Missouri AG helped craft governor’s planto weaken open records laws For two years, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has pushed unsuccessfully to allow government agencies to withhold more information from the public and charge more for any records that are turned over. And according to a 2021 memo obtained by The Independent, one of the architects of Parson’s plan to weaken government transparency laws was Andrew Bailey. Read more at STLToday.com
Parson tries to take credit for President Biden’sInfrastructure Legislation Let’s be clear, President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda is mobilizing historic levels of private sector investments in the United States, not Governor Parson.
His Investing in America agenda is rebuilding our roads and bridges using Made in America materials, built by American workers. And it’s transforming our country for the better – reaching communities in every corner of the United States, including those that have too often been left behind.
This website provides an interactive map that illustrates the impact of these record-breaking levels of public and private investment across states and territories under the Biden Administration.
Visit WhiteHouse.gov for more information.
Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina is a step backward for our nation
The Court has effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions. And I strongly — strongly disagree with the Court’s decision. Because affirmative action is so misunderstood, I want to be clear — make sure everybody is clear about what the law has been and what it has not been, until today. Read President Biden’s full statement at WhiteHouse.gov
Democratic Legislative Network! We’re excited to team up with Missouri House Democrats to build a stronger Democratic Legislative Network! We invite you to join us on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. to hear from legislators, get #MoLeg updates, and action items for you to take to make a difference. Sign up here
National Democratic Training Committee Events: July 10th, 2023 | So You want to Run for Office? July 11th, 2023 | How to Recruit & Train Volunteers?July 13th, 2023 | How to Have Meaningful One-on-One ConversationsJuly 17th, 2023 | Building Equity-Centered Volunteer TeamsJuly 19th, 2023 | How to Make Hard Asks for VolunteersJuly 20th, 2023 | Expert Q&A: Messaging Around Reproductive Rights & AbortionJuly 24th, 2023 | What is a Democratic Precinct Chair? The National Democratic Training Committee is the largest Democratic campaign training organization in the nation. They have trained more Democrats on how to win elections and build long-term power in their communities than any other organization.We provide Democratic candidates, campaign staffers, and local leaders the tools, expert training, and resources needed to win.
That’s Bidenomics. President Biden continues to invest in America. “We’re growing the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not the top down—and it’s working.” 90% of new jobs during Biden’s term can be attributed to post-pandemic return to work. On February of 2020, before the pandemic hit, 158MM people were employed. On May of 2023 the U.S. had 160MM employed. This is a net gain of 2 million jobs over 38 months. Or 55k jobs per month.
Staff Update
Andy Hatem: With Kansas City’s municipal elections complete, Andy has been working to obtain and process voting history data for June and back-fill 2022 data counties had not reported. I’m also working on district analysis to support recruitment and planning for 2024 elections in target districts. He has also met with the IT committee, updating VAN policies and working with the committee on VAN training.
Akeam Ashford: Working with New Blue Interactive, which is a digital union shop. Akeam has been working with their team to target messaging with Chairman Carnahan’s vision in mind. We’ve been working to bring awareness to the far-right agenda of the Missouri Republican led legislature and Josh Hawley ahead of the 2024 election. Matthew Patterson: In the last couple of weeks, Matthew has traveled to the Association of State Democratic Committees, in Minneapolis, where he took part in training and presentations that varied from issues such as campaign finance to the 2024 National Convention. He was also able to hear from Governor Tim Waltz of Minnesota and DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison. He attended several county events across the state from the Jackson County Truman Gala to the Bootheel Rally down in Dexter. Candidate recruitment has been a top priority and he has worked with our counties, the House Democratic Campaign Committee and the state Senate Committee to recruit strong candidates up and down the ballot. Lots of upcoming events coming up in August and September, and the DNC will be meeting in St Louis from October 5-7.
ON THE CALENDAR
St Louis County Annual GalaSaturday, July 15, 2023 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM CTLiUNA Event Center, 4532 S Lindbergh Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63127The largest annual gathering of Democrats in St. Louis County hosts enthusiastic speakers and recognizes the work of activists and others in their service to our community. Tickets can be purchased at ActBlue.comHenry County Organizing: Join Henry County Democrats & surrounding area Democrats and join the 4th District Committee on Sunday, July 23, from 12:00 – 2:00 pm at the Primitive Olde Crow and Winery, 32 SE Hwy AA Clinton, MO 64735 (Phone: 660-885-2051) This event is hosted by the 4th Congressional District Democrats with special guests Elad Gross, Candidate for Missouri Attorney General, Yvonne Reeves Chong, Vice-Chair, Missouri Democratic Party, and Matthew Patterson, Executive Director, Missouri Democratic Party. Light snacks and drinks will be provided or you can order from Olde Crow’s menu.
It’s been way too long since Democrats gathered in Henry County and we’re excited to have this opportunity! We’ll be reaching out via phone, email, and social media to let as many of you as we can know about this special event. Please be sure and share this invite with fellow Democrats who may not have gotten the message. We are hoping for a great turnout to enjoy each other’s company, speak with a dynamic candidate, and share what’s going on in Missouri’s 4th District and the Missouri Democratic Party. “Stronger Together” Multi-County Democrat Meet-Up, Sat., Aug. 12, 12 – 3 p.m., Scenic Regional Library, 251 Union Plaza Drive, Union (next to Pasta House). Hosts are the Franklin County Democrats. This is a gathering of rural county Democrats, working together to build a message and support each others’ events. Candidates are welcome. Come be part of the change that’s coming! For more information, contact Jennifer at warrencomodems@gmail.com.
Lafayette County Democratic Annual Pie Auction & DinnerSat., Aug. 12, 5 – 8 p.m. The Lafayette County Democratic Central Committee & Club invite you to join us at the American Legion Hall1001 W. 22nd St., Higginsville, MO 64037 for our annual pie auction, silent auction and dinner. A contribution of $20 will purchase the meal and club membership. All donations will be used to help elect local and state Democrats. Featured speakers: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, Senator Greg Razor, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, US Senate Candidate Lucas Kunce, MO Attorney General Candidate Elad Gross, MDP Chair Russ Carnahan & MDP Vice-Chair Yvonne Reeves-Chong. Other special guests include Senator Barbara Washington, House Representatives Richard Brown, Emily Weber, Aaron Crossley, Keri Ingle, and Patty Lewis. For more information, contact Glenda Bainbridge, gmbjlb@icloud.com.
