329 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 337 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY

BLUNT ELECTION TOMORROW — U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt is up for election tomorrow, as he seeks the number five leadership seat in the Senate. Conservatives are framing the election as “the most important fight for conservatives in America,” as put by RedState’s Eric Erickson. The problem? It is ‘The Hot Race Nobody Is Talking About,’ says National Review: “What may seem like a relatively mundane affair (vice chairman of the conference is the lowest-ranking leadership position), some are billing it as a monumental struggle for the very soul of the Republican party. … Erickson and other conservative activists are aggressively backing the freshman Johnson over Blunt, who is also a first-term senator, but whose 14 years serving in the House of Representatives (including a brief stint in leadership) classify him, in their eyes, as a member of ‘the GOP establishment.’ … 

“[C]onservative support for Johnson appears to derive less from his voting record than from his status as a true political outsider — in other words, his relative lack of political experience. … The case for Blunt, meanwhile, emphasizes his congressional experience.” http://bit.ly/tXHTn7

— Heritage Action emails this quote, from the same article: “Johnson supporters are quick to point out the senator’s conservative credentials via the Heritage Action for America congressional scorecard: He enjoys a 91 percent rating, compared with Blunt’s 64 percent. (Heritage Action is a notoriously tough grader; Paul Ryan rates just 78 percent.)”  

MOSEN — ‘NRSC chair hints concern with McCaskill challenger,’ PoliticMo: “Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, voiced his apparent unease with one of the three contenders in the WSJ’s ‘Weekend Interview’ series. ‘We have a three-way primary, and it really depends on who’s nominated, whether they are able to withstand what they know is coming at them in a general election,’ Cornyn said, according to the WSJ. Nonetheless, Cornyn asserted McCaskill is ‘very vulnerable.’

“According to the most recent polling, State Treasurer Sarah Steelman polls highest against McCaskill, followed by U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (St. Louis businessman John Brunner had not yet entered the race at the time of the latest poll.) But Steelman has had challenges raising campaign funds and has faced unease in conservative voters. Akin holds strong support from conservatives, but many Republicans question whether his support goes beyond that. A spokesman for the NRSC was not immediately responsive to a request for clarification of Cornyn’s statement.” http://bit.ly/sEATUe

MCCASKILL TAKES ON EARMARKS — ‘McCaskill study alleges 115 “earmarks” in House defense bill,’ St. Louis Beacon: “As House and Senate negotiators hammer out the final version of their defense bill, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is issuing a staff report contending that 115 spending proposals in the House version, worth $834 million, are “earmarks” that appear to violate a congressional moratorium on such favored projects. The pet projects include 20 provisions added by freshman GOP members, many of whom had campaigned on promises to end earmarks. … 

“[An] amendment listed as resembling an earmark called for $20 million for the Air Force to outfit advanced bombers to carry numerous munitions, according to McClatchy Newspapers. The committee amendment was sponsored by freshman Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, whose Missouri district includes Whiteman Air Force Base, where the B-2 bomber is based.” http://bit.ly/sKV5ER

— BRUNNER HITS BACK: St. Louis businessman John Brunner released a web video Monday blasting McCaskill’s apparent support for an budget provision earmarking $1.9 million for a Pleasure Beach water taxi service in abandoned Pleasure Beach, Connecticut. Brunner campaign manager Jon Seaton: “Whether it’s ObamaCare, the so-called stimulus or spending $1.9 million on a water taxi to an abandoned beach, as long as Claire McCaskill has access to the taxpayers’ credit card she will continue driving us deeper into debt.”http://bit.ly/rN8XWG

2012 LEGISLATING — ‘Missouri lawmakers prefile bills,’ Josh Nelson: “Several southwest Missouri lawmakers got a head start on the Jan. 4 legislative session by filing bills early. The proposals run the gamut, from providing funding for special drug courts to requiring presidential candidates to show proof of citizenship. The so-called prefiling period began Dec. 1. … 

“Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller, R-Willard, said he … intends to file several election-related bills, including one that will require voters to show photo identification at the polls. Other lawmakers have filed similar bills in both the House and Senate. Schoeller has made the voter ID proposal a key part of his bid for the office of secretary of state. The measure was passed in the General Assembly earlier this year but was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon. It will appear on state ballots in November.” http://sgfnow.co/slZt2Y

—  ‘Mo. Governor Weighs In On Sharing Ticket With Lt. Governor,’ KMOX: “Missouri’s sitting governor says he can’t rule out supporting a bill that would have future candidates seeking the position, running on the same ticket as the candidate for Lt. Governor. … Jay Nixon says such a change is not something to be taken lightly, ‘I think anytime you’re talking about taking away elective offices from the people you have to  look at that very, very carefully.  I do think it’s something, though, that the legislature ought to give a look at”…  Nixon, a Democrat, says having a Lt. Governor from a different party, like the situation he faces now with Republican Peter Kinder, doesn’t make his job any easier or more difficult, ‘The most difficult parts of this job are not the committee meetings, they are the individual choices you have to make as governor.’” http://cbsloc.al/rtffXf

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, and welcome to this edition of PoliticMo Rundown. Send your tips, comments, and scoops to eli@politicmo.com. 

GOV. JAY NIXON will be in St. Louis this morning, visiting the preschool program at Peabody eMINTS School. The governor’s office said Nixon is going to discuss expanding early childhood education programs. 

RUMORLAND says Judy Baker, D., is considering running for Lt. Governor. (In an email to her colleagues last week, Baker said she will be leaving her post as Regional Director for Health and Human Services effective December 16 to move back to Columbia.)

ECO DEVO — ‘Should tax lien have tripped Wi-Fi loan?,’ Jason Hunsicker in the Kirksville Daily Express: “As questions continue to swirl about the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s handling of Mamtek… documents examined by the Daily Express indicate the DED could have had cause to pause before awarding a loan since defaulted on by local technology company Wi-Fi Sensors, Inc. No money has been collected from the $1 million Community Development Block Grant Action Fund Loan Wi-Fi was awarded in Kirksville in 2009 and defaulted on in early 2011. And while a small amount in comparison to the tens of millions of dollars the city of Moberly invested and lost in an effort to build a plant for Mamtek – an abandoned project shown to have had many warning signs officials within Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration missed or ignored – a review of tax records reveal questions of whether Wi-Fi should have qualified for or been awarded its state loan during the DED’s application review process. … The DED declined to answer questions related to Wi-Fi Sensors or the Action Fund Loan program, citing ongoing litigation in the matter. … 

“Records obtained by the Daily Express show at the time of their application to the Community Development Block Grant Action Fund Loan program, the state of California had an active tax lien against a former business operated by Wi-Fi President Peter Fuhr. … 

“During the review process, the DED is to examine a company’s tax history and creditworthiness, as well as that of individuals within a company. If a company itself has delinquent tax issues, it appears unlikely a loan would be approved, as that would speak to the company’s ability to repay the loan itself. … 

“Records show the DED has awarded 54 CDBG loans to 51 companies since 2000, totaling $26,581,500. The Daily Express was able to verify 27 of those businesses are still operating, while 17 were confirmed closed. Seven were unknown as of press time. Since Nixon took office, the DED has received 10 applications for CDBG loans and awarded four, including Wi-Fi Sensors. Two of the other businesses have been verified as open, while one business’ status is unknown.” http://bit.ly/vyLFWm

— MOGOP spox Jon Prouty emails: “The Wi-Fi Sensors mess—like the Mamtek collapse and the Watch Me Smile fiasco—was a preventable economic development failure that should have been stopped before Nixon ever made the announcement.  But now, thanks to Nixon’s ineptitude, Missourians are stuck with the $1 million tab, and have no new jobs to show for it.”  

THE CONTENDERS — ‘Candidates lacking for some Mo. offices,’ AP: “U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan is running for Congress again next year. The St. Louis Democrat assures people of that. But exactly in which district Carnahan will run remains to be determined. … Aside from Carnahan and his two fellow Democratic incumbents, Democrats don’t have any well-known candidates for Congress. Republicans have no declared candidate for attorney general, only recently gained a treasurer’s candidate and can’t seem to settle on who wants to run for governor or lieutenant governor. Some Republicans bemoan that their party is in disarray. The state Democratic Party, meanwhile, is in debt. Suffice it to say, the 2012 election season is not off to a smooth start in Missouri. … 

“Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Mike Sanders, who took over the post just three weeks ago, insists there are several potential Democratic candidates for congressional seats who — like Carnahan — are remaining mum about specific races while they wait for the legal battle to play out. He declined to identify any of them. … 

“Missouri Republican Party Executive Director Lloyd Smith contends there is another reason why Democrats are sitting on the sidelines in the congressional races. ‘No Democrat wants to step forward and be associated with (President Barack) Obama,’ Smith said. Yet Republicans have had their own troubles with candidates. … Republicans have no declared challenger to Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster, though Smith said a couple private-sector attorneys he declined to name ‘are very interested’ in the race. Until state Rep. Cole McNary declared his candidacy at the start of December, Republicans also had no candidate to challenge Democratic Treasurer Clint Zweifel. … 

“In their most recent filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission, the state Republican Party reported more than $346,000 in its account while the Democratic Party reported less than $7,000 of cash and a nearly $295,000 debt. Yet Sanders insists the Democratic Party will have no problem raising money for 2012 and notes that many of the party’s top-of-the-ticket candidates have their own healthy campaign accounts.” http://bit.ly/snk6BE

SOME CANDIATES — #awkwardheadlines: ‘Turk tastes blood, wants Cleaver again,’ Steve Kraske: “Republican Jacob Turk, who gave Congressman Emanuel Cleaver a scare in 2010, wants another shot at him. And Turk plans to take it, even though new district boundaries leave him outside the 5th District. Turk said Sunday night he would formally announce his plans at 11 a.m. Monday at Union Station. A spokeswoman said Sunday night that if he wins next November, Turk planned to move inside the newly configured 5th.” http://bit.ly/sRiXwc

— ‘Chris Kelly to run in newly formed 45th House District,’ Columbia Trib: “State Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, announced [Friday] that he will vie for the newly formed 45th House District, which encompasses downtown Columbia and the University of Missouri. … Kelly said this likely would be the last public office he seeks. If Kelly is elected next year, he is eligible for one more term, and he said he likely would seek re-election to a final term.” http://bit.ly/tXf5UF

RIP — ‘Richard J. Rabbit, former Missouri House Spearker, dead at 76,’ Post Dispatch: “Richard J. Rabbitt, who served as Missouri’s speaker of the House in the 1970s before his imprisonment on federal corruption charges, died Friday (Dec. 9, 2011) of heart failure at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He was 76. A lawyer, Mr. Rabbitt became one of the most powerful Democrats in state government before his political career was undone by a bribery scandal. Mr. Rabbitt was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1960 and served eight terms as a state representative, including three terms as majority floor leader. And he was elected by his colleagues to two terms as the speaker of the Missouri House from 1973 to 1976. Among his legislative achievements, as House speaker he signed into law in 1976 the Nurse Practice Act following an override of the governor’s veto.” http://bit.ly/rURQFa

JEFF CITY CRAZINESS — ‘Murder suspect shot, apprehended after high-speed chase,’ KRCG: “[A pursuit] led to a shoot-out between a gunman and officers at the Capitol Plaza Hotel.  The effort to capture Marvin Rice began in Maries and Osage Counties around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Authorities located his vehicle by pinging on calls from his cell phone. The Highway Patrol and County Deputies chased Rice north on Highway 63 through Vienna and Westphalia. When he hit U.S. 50 and headed west toward Jefferson City, they tried to stop him at the Osage River Bridge. … 

“Rice continued on to the Capitol Plaza Hotel. ‘He enters the parking lot of the hotel and basically without removing the vehicle from drive, jumps out of the car and enters the front door of the hotel,’ [a Highway Patrol spokesman] said. A Jefferson City officer was in close pursuit. Gunfire was exchanged in the lobby. An off-duty deputy working security for a company Christmas party with hundreds of guests heard the commotion and responded. Reinsch said that deputy also exchanged shots with Rice. At some point, the suspect was wounded. While it is unclear exactly how many shots were fired by everybody involved right now, Reinsch said the exact number will be revealed during the investigation into the officers-involved shooting.” http://bit.ly/vL0NlR

SPORTZ — ‘Pujols: ‘It was about the commitment’,’ Post-Dispatch: “Shortly before noon local time Saturday, Albert Pujols slipped into a fitted Los Angeles Angels cap and a crisp home white jersey before a crowd of more than 4,000 boisterous fans. … Saturday’s appearance was part of a two-day ritual following Pujols’ Thursday morning acceptance of a 10-year, $254 million contract, the second-most lucrative deal in the game’s history. Following his public introduction, Pujols spoke of a process more about acceptance than finance while his wife, Deidre, described a decision flecked by personal angst as well as relief and happiness.

“‘I don’t want to talk about negotiations,’ Pujols told the Post-Dispatch shortly after a second news conference held inside the stadium. ‘But to tell you the truth, it wasn’t about the money. I’m going to die saying that, because it wasn’t about the money. It was about the commitment.’ Pujols refused to discuss his departure from the Cardinals during the open-air phase of Saturday’s appearance but later described a process that included eight phone conversations Wednesday with chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak. The marathon left Pujols drained, admittedly emotional and finally resigned to the fact that Angels’ owner Arte Moreno’s long-distance lightning strike offered a greater sense of belonging as well as more dollars.” http://bit.ly/vhgNbq