The University of Central Missouri held its annual homecoming parade in Warrensburg yesterday morning. As in all election years local and statewide candidates participate. The parade route winds around and through the university campus and downtown Warrensburg – with a crowd numbering several thousand.
We accompanied the grouped entries of local Democrats and Democratic Party candidates in the parade.
In the line-up area:
In support of Amendment 3.
The Democratic Party entries were lined up next to a wagon pulled by a pair of mules sponsored by “Missouri Right to Life” festooned with “No on 3” signs. There wasn’t interaction between the two groups.
Eric Stevens, the Democratic Party candidate in the 54th Legislative District:
The University of Missouri held its annual homecoming parade in Columbia yesterday morning.
Elad Gross (D), the Democratic Party candidate for Attorney General:
Meta. There are logistics (also scheduling) involved at this point in the campaign in getting a candidate from one side of the state and a trailer and volunteers from the other side of the state for an early morning line-up and 8:00 a.m. start for a homecoming parade in the center of the state.
It involves leaving at 2:30 a.m.
4:30 a.m., first staging area, in Columbia.
5:30 a.m., second staging area, in Columbia.
Setting the hitch on the Eladmobile.
At the assigned parade line-up position.
Progress in setting up the trailer:
Ready to roll out:
During the lengthy period from line-up, final float construction and set-up, and the start of the parade, candidates and parade volunteers can and do utilize the time to visit and stand for group photos:
On Saturday the annual Warrensburg Pride Festival took place at the same venue as last year. The well-attended family friendly event included vendors, information, activities, entertainment, music, discussions, speeches, swag, food (and an outdoor food truck!). There were protesters.
Several statewide and local Democratic Party candidates attended and spoke at the event.
Elad Gross (D), the Democratic Party candidate for Attorney General, attended, spoke to the crowd, and visited one-on-one with attendees.
Elad Gross (D).
.
Elad Gross (D): [….] As Attorney General I will start Missouri’s first civil rights division in the history of our state. It’s about damn time that we have one [applause]. Twenty other, at least twenty other, twenty-eight other states have one. Most states have one, including the, uh, vaunted Democratic capital of Oklahoma. I mean, come on, like, we need to have one. Okay? And we need to protect our rights, we need to protect our rights to reproductive freedom, which we will put in the state Constitution this November [applause]. We need to protect our rights on the job, we need to protect our rights in education, we need to protect our rights in public housing.
And I know that the state legislature refuses to pass the Missouri Non-discrimination Act, or MONA, which is a statute that would say you cannot discriminate against folks because they’re gay, because they’re a member of the LGBTQ community.
Well, I’ll tell you what. Whether or not they want to pass that law we are going to enforce that right. Because that is the right that every American and every Missourian already has. And our civil rights division will make sure that right is protected here in the State of Missouri [applause].
[….]
I think we need an Attorney General who represents the people of the State of Missouri, not big government, not big corporations that are paying for them, but for you and your family. And as your Attorney General I will get that office working for you again.
It’s about time that your rights are protected in our state and it’s about time that those folks who want to take ’em away suffer the consequences. So, we’ve got a lot of folks that we got to get elected, we got a whole lot of folks that we got to start suing, and I would be honored to be your next Attorney General to do that.
Elad Gross, the Democratic Party nominee for Missouri Attorney Genral, met with Johnson County Democrats in Warrensburg this evening after making a stop at the University of Central Missouri on his college tour.
Elad Gross (D).
Michael Walbom, the Democratic Party candidate in the 57th Legislative District.
Elad Gross (D) spoke at length about the role of the office of the Attorney General and his experience as a litigator there, along with his work promoting and assuring transparency in state government. He spent over two hours with the thirty individuals in attendance, speaking about his campaign, the office, and taking questions.
“…There is nothing these hate-filled people can do to stop me from representing you. I am not withdrawing from the race. I am not resigning from public life, whatever that means. I will never give up on Missouri….”
Last night, our only Democratic primary opponent dropped out of the race for Attorney General. She posted a statement and a video claiming that my family members and I are foreign agents of Israel while endorsing a Twitter screed alleging that my mother and I are interfering in Missouri’s elections.
My opponent also called on me to “resign from the Missouri Attorney General’s race and from public life.”
For the past week and a half, my family has been targeted by a group of antisemitic conspiracy theorists who spent many months manipulating a sitting Missouri state representative for their personal gain. At one point, these people openly discussed trying to access Missouri taxpayer money for one of their companies to map the DNA of foster children.
I don’t know how these con artists were able to do this to someone I knew for seven years. I am very worried for her, and I’m worried about what else these people have planned for Missouri. I know they’re not done targeting my family; they continued their attacks against my mom, my wife, and me late into last night.
Throughout my very public career, the only clients I have ever had are the People of Missouri. As an Assistant Attorney General, I had the honor of representing them all at once. As a civil rights and government transparency attorney, I just do it one at a time, and those cases are also about protecting the liberties that all of us should have as Americans and as Missourians.
There is nothing these hate-filled people can do to stop me from representing you. I am not withdrawing from the race. I am not resigning from public life, whatever that means. I will never give up on Missouri.
I am running to be your Attorney General for a lot of reasons, and you can read all about them on our website. At the end of the day, it’s because I love our state, I love working with people who want to make Missouri even better, and I know what a wonderful home we can build right here together.
So let’s go get this done.
If you can, do a couple things today:
1) Donate to our campaign at http://www.EladGross.org to support the crucial work our new regional organizers are doing all over our state, and
2) Send me an email at Elad@Elad4MO.org with your ideas for events, get-togethers, whatever you can think of so we can build a campaign that will bring home a big win in November.
Sarah Unsicker @SarahUnsicker
I will not be running against Elad Gross for the Democratic Attorney General Primary.
Given the credible and detailed allegations I received yesterday, I call on Mr. Gross to step down from the AG race and from public life.
[….] 3:40 PM · Dec 14, 2023
[….]
In recent days, it has become increasingly clear how broken our political system has become.
Manipulations of the media surrounding my professional and personal relationships is only one such example.
My state representative office was copied on a criminal complaint against Elad Gross yesterday, alleging that he and his family have failed to register as foreign agents for Israel.
This is a professional and detailed complaint that I have forwarded to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. It was initially sent to the FBI.
Because of the considerable conflict of interest these allegations present, I will not be running against Elad Gross for Missouri Attorney General.
I call on Elad Gross to resign from the Missouri Attorney General’s race and from public life.
In the coming days I will be preparing for the 2024 legislative session as the State Representative from the 83rd District, as I consider my political future and enjoy the holidays with family. I hope that you, too, can step away from the crazy news cycle of recent weeks and enjoy love and beauty this holiday season.
I will be making an announcement about my political future in January.
[….]
This reads like it was collectively written by a junior high school dance decoration subcommittee.
“…it has become increasingly clear how broken our political system has become…”
“…Manipulations of the media surrounding my professional and personal relationships is only one such example…”
That’s a lot to unpack. It’s the company you keep. You’re a public office holder, what did you think was going to happen? Anonymity?
“…My state representative office was copied on a criminal complaint against Elad Gross yesterday…”
By who? Release it and the name of whoever gave it to you to the public.
“…failed to register as foreign agents for Israel…”
JEW, JEW, JEW.
Could you be any more clueless and obvious?
The accusation of disloyalty or divided loyalty is a very old and common antisemitic trope.
“…This is a professional and detailed complaint…”
Again, by who? What’s the source?
“…that I have forwarded to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office…”
And what’s he going to do, issue a press release? Just asking.
“…It was initially sent to the FBI…”
How do you know? Again, who sent it, and exactly what did they send?
“…Because of the considerable conflict of interest these allegations present, I will not be running against Elad Gross for Missouri Attorney General…”
Translation: “I didn’t think about the possible consequences of my actions ahead of time.”
“…I call on Elad Gross to resign from the Missouri Attorney General’s race and from public life…”
A junior high school dance decoration subcommittee would use the word “resign”. An adult would use the word “withdraw”. Resign from “public life”? WTF? Who do you think you are?
“…as I consider my political future…”
The first rule of holes is, when you find that you’re in one, stop digging.
“…I will be making an announcement about my political future in January…”
He was challenging an appeals court decision that ruled his ballot language for an abortion initiative was too biased and argumentative.
This means that the appeals court decision will stand — keeping the court-approved ballot language.
The court also declined to take up the case challenging the fiscal note summary, meaning the ballot will reflect the Auditor’s summary, not Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s “$12.5 billion” figure.
It also means that abortion rights activists will soon be able to begin collecting more than 171,000 signatures by May 6 in order to secure ballot access.
Remember next November.
Elad Gross For Missouri
[November 20, 2023]
Jay Ashcroft and Andrew Bailey appealed to Missouri’s Supreme Court in their attempt to issue biased language for the initiative petition to overturn our extreme abortion ban.
The Supreme Court just rejected their appeal.
Their attempts to run out the clock and stop Missourians from accessing the ballot has ended.
Elad Gross, a Democratic Party candidate for Missouri Attorney General, spoke Sunday afternoon at a gathering of 4th Congressional District Democrats.
Elad Gross (D).
Remarks [edited for length]:
.
Folks, my name is Elad Gross. I am running to be your Attorney General so we can get this state working for us again. It is so important that we get this done…
[….]
So first, I was a former Assistant Attorney General of Missouri back when the Attorney General’s office used to function. And it’s been a while.
[….]
This is about energizing the Missouri Democratic Party so we stand up for working families in our state. That is what this is about. And this is a particular moment when we can do it.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this. But the UAW right now is on strike. And the first facility that they chose, the first one listed….by the President of the UAW, Shawn Fain, was the one in Wentzville [Missouri]. The one in Wentzville. And the reason is, because in 2019, I was standing with them in that time, too, in 2019 they did such a good job. They were so together, they collected resources from all over the community. They did such a good job of leadership that they wanted them to be first. And they are proud to be striking now, because the work that they are doing isn’t just for them, it’s about whether we are going to be a country that supports working folks in our, in the United States of America.
Whether we’re going to be able to afford to go to good schools. And to be able to have good roads. And to have good housing. Or whether we’re gonna have crappy everything just because a bunch of rich people want to get even richer.
It’s about time. It’s about time that our government, that this country, supports regular people, not just those who have a whole ton of money.
This is a decision we have to make now. Absolutely. This is a decision that we have to make as a party, as a state, as a country. And this is the work that we have to get done together in this election. Because when we go down the wrong path on this, at this crucial moment, it’s very hard to go down the right one afterward.
Folks, this is a particular moment, not just for one campaign, it’s really about building a community that folks can rely on each other within. And I can’t think of a better place to do that then the great State of Missouri because of all of you…
Elad Gross For Missouri
[….]
I sometimes sue the government on behalf of hurt people. The day before Thanksgiving, my government decided to sue me and start a negative media campaign in an Eric-Greitens-esque attempt to discredit my work.
I believe that the government should be accountable to the people it represents. A lot of folks agree, and that’s why Republicans and Democrats passed the Missouri Sunshine Law almost 50 years ago, so we could see what our government is doing with our money and in our name. But now, decades later, we have far too many government officials who think you and I shouldn’t see anything at all.
I represent a man who was temporarily detained in a St. Louis jail. Because the cell locks admittedly don’t work and the jail is unsafe, he was assaulted and severely injured. As part of our investigation, I asked for public records from St. Louis City. Over the course of a year, the City violated the Sunshine Law multiple times and delayed producing public records. I learned that attorneys, reporters, researchers, and other members of the public had similar issues with the City. I offered to help the City comply with the Sunshine Law on multiple occasions, and each time I was ignored.
As a last resort, I filed a Sunshine Law lawsuit against the City and several officials. Because of the number of violations involved, the lawsuit was very long and took considerable time to write. I again offered to resolve the dispute, and again the City ignored that offer.
Instead, the City and several of its officials decided to file an illegal lawsuit against me for daring to hold them accountable. They have asked for maximum monetary damages, including an award of punitive damages, which is not allowed in Missouri without special permission of the judge, permission they never asked for. They claim that once the City violates the Sunshine Law on a request, it can violate it as many times as it would like to without additional liability, a novel argument that I’m sure other lawbreakers would love to use in their cases too. Ironically, the name of the claim the City is using to try to shut me up and deter others from seeking transparency is called “abuse of process.”
The City spends a lot of its lawsuit disparaging me, saying that because I ran for Attorney General more than two years ago I should not be believed. I guess the City doesn’t want people running for office either, especially for an office that is supposed to police Sunshine Law violations. If only it did.
These City officials then shared portions of their work with the media in some weird attempt to discredit me. In their comments to the media, the government officials criticized me for… talking to the media. About folks – including reporters – being prevented from seeing public records. About people being assaulted in their jails! These City officials left out the fact that reporters approached me about the issues they were having, or that we have freedom of speech in this country.
Eric Greitens used to attack me for being a “Democratic operative” when I sued him for hiding records, well before I was a candidate for office. Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt, and Mike Parson took their turns too. They all lost.
It’s a very sad time in the Show-Me State when some government officials act like they own their offices, like the people don’t matter. It’s a scary time when some officials are willing to use their authority and taxpayer money to silence citizens. In some states, these kinds of strategic lawsuits against public participation filed by the City are strictly prohibited. They should be in Missouri too.
If you’ve had issues with the St. Louis City public records portal online and are willing to tell the court about it, please feel free to reach out. Sounds like we’ll be in court soon
