Teresa Hensley is the Democratic Party nominee for Attorney General of Missouri.
Teresa Hensley, the Democratic Party nominee for Missouri Attorney General [2016 file photo].
Yesterday in the Democratic Party primary for Attorney General:
Attorney General 3214 of 3214 Precincts Reported
Jake Zimmerman Democratic 149,911 47.303% Teresa Hensley Democratic 167,003 52.697%
Party Total: 316,914
[emphasis added]
Jake Zimmerman (D) [2016 file photo].
Jake Zimmerman’s (D) concession:
Not the result we wanted
Dear friends,
This isn’t the note we were hoping to send you today. Yesterday’s election did not come out the way we had hoped, as we lost a close primary race.
We are incredibly disappointed. We put our heart and soul into this campaign, but came up short. Does it hurt? Sure.
But we are incredibly proud of the extraordinary commitment made by so many citizens across Missouri to champion this cause. You inspired us every day with your effort and your dedication. We are and will be eternally grateful to each of you for all that you did.
This morning, Gabriel woke up with the usual wide smile on his face. And while racing around on the carpet, he played one of his favorite games. He dropped to the floor, then jumped up into Mama’s lap, and squealed: “I fell down! I get up!” And then he giggled hysterically.
We aren’t doing so much giggling today, but we do agree with his sentiments. We fall down, we get up. We are sustained by the power of your kindness, your friendship, your support, and your good wishes.
The fight for fairness goes on. I congratulate Teresa Hensley on a hard-fought campaign, and I look forward to supporting her as our Democratic nominee to be the next Attorney General. She and others have important campaigns to win in November. We all still have work to do.
As for me, Jake, I’m excited to continue my work on behalf of the good people of St. Louis County. I am reminded even more vividly how grateful I am that they have put their trust in me. If you’re reading this, odds are good that you, too, have you put your trust in me. For that, above all else, we are both humbled and grateful.
With great appreciation,
Jake and Megan [Zimmerman]
That’s real class.
After the republican primary Josh Hawley is the republican nominee for Attorney General of Missouri:
Attorney General 3214 of 3214 Precincts Reported Josh Hawley Republican 415,300 64.214%
Kurt Schaefer Republican 231,444 35.786%
Party Total: 646,744
[emphasis added]
Not nice people, by their nasty campaign ads, and not particularly well qualified, either. It’s what spending a lot of money does and doesn’t get you in the republican primary. And there will be plenty more money where that came from.
Candidates filed their second quarter campaign finance reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission on Friday. Two Democrats and two republicans have filed to run for Attorney General.
Teresa Hensley (D) [2016 file photo].
For Teresa Hensley (D):
C151147: Teresa Hensley For Missouri
Committee Type: Candidate
Po Box 410070 Party Affiliation: Democrat
Kansas City Mo 64141 Established Date: 08/10/2015
[….]
Information Reported On: 2016 – April Quarterly Report
Beginning Money on Hand $228,198.61
Monetary Receipts + $92,567.28
Monetary Expenditures – $36,639.66
Contributions Made – $0.00
Other Disbursements – $0.00
Subtotal $55,927.62
Ending Money On Hand $284,126.23
[emphasis added]
Jake Zimmerman (D) [2015 file photo].
For Jake Zimmerman (D):
C051130: Citizens For Jake Zimmerman
Committee Type: Candidate
9046 Old Bonhomme Road Party Affiliation: Democrat
St Louis Mo 63132 Established Date: 06/13/2005
[….]
Information Reported On: 2016 – April Quarterly Report
Beginning Money on Hand $1,184,875.33
Monetary Receipts + $203,403.45
Monetary Expenditures – $40,945.19
Contributions Made – $0.00
Other Disbursements – $4,595.02
Subtotal $157,863.24
Ending Money On Hand $1,342,738.57
[emphasis added]
For Josh Hawley (r):
C151132: Hawley For Missouri
Committee Type: Candidate
Po Box 1073 Party Affiliation: Republican
Columbia Mo 65205 Established Date: 07/23/2015
[….]
Information Reported On: 2016 – April Quarterly Report
Beginning Money on Hand $802,542.33
Monetary Receipts + $431,188.77
Monetary Expenditures – $105,338.64
Contributions Made – $1,395.00
Other Disbursements – $0.00
Subtotal $324,455.13
Ending Money On Hand $1,126,997.46
[emphasis added]
For Kurt Schaeffer (r):
C081145: Citizens To Elect Kurt Schaefer Attorney General
Committee Type: Candidate
Po Box 1614 Party Affiliation: Republican
Columbia Mo 65205 Established Date: 04/04/2008
[….]
Information Reported On: 2016 – April Quarterly Report
Beginning Money on Hand $2,071,695.94
Monetary Receipts + $93,363.00
Monetary Expenditures – $82,615.70
Contributions Made – $0.00
Other Disbursements – $0.00
Subtotal $10,747.30
Ending Money On Hand $2,082,443.24
[emphasis added]
There’s a minimum critical mass in campaign fundraising when any candidate runs for statewide office in a down ballot race (uh, anything statewide that’s not Governor or U.S. Senate). The amount of money is usually somewhere in the six digit range when it comes close to the primary date. Seven digits is nice, but where is the candidate gonna spend it all before the primary? We are certain that the campaign consultant industrial complex will find a way.
Yesterday via Twitter, on the Kentucky county clerk who won’t issue marriage licenses:
Rachel Held Evans @rachelheldevans
No one’s being jailed for practicing her religion. Someone’s being jailed for using the government to force others to practice her religion. 1:30 PM – 3 Sep 2015
You might be surprised by the number people who apparently don’t understand that, even some with law degrees.
So, one of the 2016 republican candidates for Attorney General in Missouri just had to weigh in:
Missouri Attorney General candidate Josh Hawley on Friday denounced the jailing of county clerk Kim Davis of Kentucky and called for more clearly defined protections for religious people in the public sphere…..
[….]
….”[A recorder of deeds in Missouri] should be able to opt out and designate someone else, a deputy or another official to issue the license instead,” Hawley said during a phone interview. “That would protect their constitutional rights and also allow for that license to be issued.”
Uh, correct us if we’re wrong, but it wasn’t that the Kentucky county clerk didn’t want to personally issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, but as the public official in charge of the office she wasn’t allowing the issuance of any licenses to any couples. That is a significant difference.
A statement by Jake Zimmermann (D), one of the Democratic Party candidates for Attorney General in 2016, in response to Josh Hawley’s (r) statements as reported in the newspaper article:
“The Attorney General’s job is to enforce the law, not to make it up as you go along. Marriage equality is the law of the land. If you don’t understand that, you shouldn’t be running for Attorney General.”
Kurt Schaefer’s (r) 2016 attorney general campaign filed its July quarterly campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on July 15th:
C081145: Citizens To Elect Kurt Schaefer Attorney General
Committee Type: Candidate
Po Box 1614 Party Affiliation: Republican
Columbia Mo 65205 Established Date: 04/04/2008
[….]
Information Reported On: 2015 – July Quarterly Report
Beginning Money on Hand $1,326,971.20
Monetary Receipts + $96,097.50
Monetary Expenditures – $38,920.56
Contributions Made – $0.00
Other Disbursements – $0.00
Subtotal $57,176.94
Ending Money On Hand $1,384,148.14
[emphasis added]
Not a particularly active fundraising quarter, though the cash on hand, at first glance, is impressive. There is $544,822.93 in outstanding indebtedness.
The contributions:
Contributions to Kurt Schaefer’s (r) 2016 attorney general campaign reported on its July 2015 quarterly campaign finance report.
Contributions to Kurt Schaefer’s (r) 2016 attorney general campaign reported on its July 2015 quarterly campaign finance report.
The Jackson County Democratic Committee is holding its annual Truman Days celebration this weekend. The festivities at the Adam’s Mark in Kansas City started last night with the food and informal social atmosphere of the hospitality suites. Candidates, Democratic Party activists, and anyone in attendance have an opportunity to introduce themselves to each other, renew acquaintances, visit, and talk about campaigns and politics in Missouri.
Democratic Party activists visiting in the hallway.
Jim White (D), candidate in the 4th Congressional District, speaking with Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D).
The speakers scheduled at tonight’s dinner include Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Secretary of State Jason Kander, Attorney General Chris Koster, and keynote speaker Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio.
Jake Zimmerman (D), a candidate for Attorney General in 2016, made a personal contribution to his campaign. Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission:
C051130 04/02/2015 CITIZENS FOR JAKE ZIMMERMAN Jake and Megan Zimmerman 9046 Old Bonhomme Rd Olivette MO 63132 St. Louis County Assessor 3/31/2015 $200,000.00
Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission, for one of the Democratic Party candidates for Attorney General in 2016:
C051130 04/01/2015 CITIZENS FOR JAKE ZIMMERMAN Stuart Zimmerman 736 Audubon Dr Clayton MO 63105 Buckingham Asset Management Founder 3/30/2015 $25,000.00
C051130 04/01/2015 CITIZENS FOR JAKE ZIMMERMAN Susan Zimmerman 736 Audubon Dr Clayton MO 63105 Not Employed 3/30/2015 $25,000.00
Former Assistant Attorney General Pledges to Continue Fight for Fairness as Missouri’s Top Law Enforcement Official
Pledging to fight for fairness and equal treatment for all Missourians, Jake Zimmerman today announced that he will officially enter the race for Missouri Attorney General. As Missouri’s top law enforcement official, Zimmerman said he would draw on his experience as a former prosecutor, lawmaker, and the current St. Louis County Assessor to advocate for crime victims, consumers and taxpayers.
“Everyone has a right to fairness, regardless of whether you’re a millionaire or a single mom who is just trying to make ends meet,” Zimmerman said. “Whether it’s prosecuting corporations that are cheating their customers, or cracking down on casinos and developers who are trying to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, I’ve dedicated my career to fighting to make sure people are treated equally under the law. It’s a fight I want to continue as Missouri’s Attorney General.”
As an Assistant Attorney General for Missouri, Zimmerman fought on behalf of Missourians who had been victimized by illegal and unfair business practices. He prosecuted scammers who stole money from unsuspecting customers, shut down fake “training schools” that existed only to con students out of their hard-earned tuition, and even took on large cell phone companies that misled customers by disguising fees as taxes.
Zimmerman is the first elected St. Louis County Assessor since 1960. As Assessor for the largest county in Missouri, Jake fought back when powerful corporations tried to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by shifting the burden to small businesses and homeowners. He successfully challenged casinos that sought windfall tax cuts that would have slashed local school budgets and cracked down on wealthy developers who tried to dodge taxes by pretending that parking lots were “farms.” And when a luxury senior center attempted to claim it was a “charity,” Zimmerman fought until the owners agreed to pay their fair share.
Prior to being elected Assessor in 2011, Zimmerman served in the State Legislature, where he championed consumer protections and ethics reforms designed to prevent lobbyists from controlling the system with unlimited gifts and campaign contributions.
“The culture of corruption in Jefferson City has gone on for too long,” Zimmerman said. “We must fight for one fair set of rules for everyone. And if someone tries to exploit their position of power to game the system, they must be held accountable.”
Jake Zimmerman, a Democrat, was born and raised in St. Louis County. Zimmerman graduated from Clayton High School before going on to receive degrees from Claremont McKenna College and Harvard Law School. He and his wife Megan live in Olivette with their son Gabriel.
Blue Girl has registered her amazement, and, dare I say it, her disgust at the obliviousness that Todd Akin showed as he assured his fans that he’s in the Senate race for the long haul. Many of us in Rep. Akin’s district have long been familiar with his somewhat dimwitted but frequently entertaining style of speech, but we also know that there’s a hardcore claque of Christian evangelical Missourians that think Brother Todd walks on water. The guy’s won his House seat six times after all, and this is far from his first outrageous public statement. It’s just the one that got the most attention and the first that occasioned any recoil from his currently rather jumpy and election-shy party.
Today’s overtly radicalized GOP has worked very well for folks like Todd Akin – a type of extremist I had thought obliterated years ago when we all stopped talking about the Birchers. This fact was brought home to me today when I read in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the disputed tax valuation of the Harrah’s casino in Maryland heights. This is County Assessor Jake Zimmerman’s second attempt to assign a higher value to the casino – and given the $610 million price it bought when it recently sold, he may have a stronger case this time around. As Zimmerman remarked, “When big entities like Harrah’s get special breaks, the rest of us wind up paying more.”
However, the attorney for the casino, Dan Peters, saw it a bit differently:
His voice rising, Peters countered: “What he (Zimmerman) is doing is Marxism. He is saying that he’s going to tax your restaurant based on what a successful business it is you have. If you have people going there it creates value, then h e’s going to put a price tag of $100 million on that restaurant and he’s going to shut that restaurant down.”**
Dramatic to say the least. Accurate? Not so much. If Zimmerman were imposing a Marxist solution (hard to do all on one’s lonesome), he would appropriate for the state the entire hypothetical restaurant – along with all the other restaurants. And every other business. Instead, what he has the temerity to suggest is that a business making big bucks should pay its fair share of taxes. It’s not even socialism – it’s just a basic question of fairness. I like to know that my neighbor and I are taxed based on a fair application of the system we have agreed to. The same goes for local businesses, even those that can afford to make big political donations.
I don’t know what a fair tax valuation for Harrah’s casino should be. But I do know that arguments against the proposed valuation don’t, by any stretch of the imagination, have anything to do with the Pavlovian trigger words the casino’s lawyer has used in order to snow the members of the Board of Equalization. I also know that his use of those words signals just how far into a fact-free fantasy world we have moved. In this right-wing Missouri of the mind, words don’t have real, denotational meaning; they’re nothing more than tools used to leverage an emotional response to vaguely understood concepts. This is the world in which Akin thrives and which we now have to navigate.
In the video Blue Girl posted, the operational fantasy construct is “freedom” from which Akin believes all good things, low taxation, minimal bureaucracy, etc. flow. Akin characterizes the difference between himself and Senator McCaskill as having to do with how great a quantity of freedom each will produce, the gist being that Akin’ll give us a measuring cup full, while McCaskill doles it out with a teaspoon.
What he fails to tell us is that the freedom he talks about is that of a totally unregulated market, a corporate class free to run roughshod over the American middle class, a group that has steadily been losing ground after each iteration of the Republican love affair with this lop-sided freedom that has been allowed to play out. It was Akin’s brand of freedom that in 2008 nearly crashed the world economy.
We aren’t out of the economic woods yet, but we are actually better off today than we were in 2009 by almost every objective measure. But, hey, who cares, as long as you’re for freedom and fight the good fight against Marxism, and that nasty old liberal hatred of God, you know better than objective facts.
**This quote appears only in the print edition version of the story. “Tax battle resumes over Harrah’s.” Aug. 24, 2012.
So instead of putting up film from his victory party of him talking about his goals as assessor, I thought you’d like to hear something about the man himself. Because you know there’s more to him than just the politician.
Jake expressed that kind opinion of Chip Wood to me several weeks back. He’s sincere about it. And it tells me that he understands what filling a nonpartisan post means.
As for Megan, I wouldn’t know how sincere he is since he hasn’t discussed her with me. But I’m betting he meant every word.
![Teresa Hensley, the Democratic Party nominee for Missouri Attorney General [2016 file photo].](https://i1.wp.com/showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/img_1555.jpg?ssl=1)
![Jake Zimmerman (D) [2016 file photo].](https://i2.wp.com/showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/img_1574.jpg?ssl=1)
![Teresa Hensley (D [2016 file photo].](https://i2.wp.com/showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/img_9584.jpg?ssl=1)
![Jake Zimmerman (D) [2015 file photo].](https://i1.wp.com/showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/img_9780x6.jpg?ssl=1)
