306 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 215 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY

GENERAL ASSEMBLY BACK IN TOWN — The Missouri House of Representatives and Senate both convene today at 12:00PM for the second regular session of the 96th General Assembly. Everybody has a lot on their mind heading into election year, not to mention the tough budget situation, but here are a few clips about some of their priorities:

— ‘Plans to cap campaign donations resurface,’ Rudi Keller: “Two state lawmakers from opposite ends of the political spectrum will be pushing to impose limits on campaign contributions when the 2012 legislative session opens tomorrow. Rep. Jason Kander, D-Kansas City, and Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield, did not confer before proposing to bring back limits. But both lawmakers said big donations allow donors to concentrate power in their hands and in the hands of legislative leaders. … Under Purgason’s proposal, which deals only with contribution limits, contributors could give as much as $500 to a candidate for the Missouri House, as much as $1,000 to those running for the Missouri Senate and as much as $2,500 to candidates for statewide office. The limits in Kander’s bill are almost identical. He would limit statewide candidates to $2,000 per contributor. Kander’s bill deals with several areas of ethics laws, including a ban on lawmakers working as lobbyists for two years after they leave office and a ban on incumbent lawmakers working as paid political consultants.” http://bit.ly/wvQwGi

— ‘KC schools will be a hot topic as Missouri legislature convenes,’ KC Star: “The fate of hundreds of families thinking of leaving the Kansas City school district rests in the hands of lawyers and lawmakers. … Tuesday was the first day that neighboring school district offices opened after Kansas City’s loss of accreditation took effect Jan. 1. An estimated 1,500 families have asked about taking advantage of state law that allows students to transfer out of an unaccredited district. But those rights are tangled in legal and policy disputes. Lawmakers, making their way to Jefferson City to open the 2012 session today, predicted a difficult struggle for any of several far-reaching proposals intended to protect Kansas City and neighboring district schools. … Unaccredited districts like Kansas City and St. Louis are trying to guard against financial ruin that could come if they had to fund wholesale transfers, and neighboring districts are trying to keep some control over how many students they must receive, Center School District Superintendent Bob Bartman said.” http://bit.ly/zbZUsj

— ‘Business leaders unveil legislative priorities,’ Missouri Journal: “Business associations and employers from across Missouri plan to advocate for workers’ compensation, employment law, and tort reform during the upcoming legislative session set to get underway on Wednesday. The business coalition, led by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the proposals to stop expensive litigation against businesses and bring solvency back to the workers’ compensation fund, are revenue neutral and are the consensus of all members.” http://bit.ly/w785IU

AKIN STAFF SHAKEUP — ‘Top staff leave Akin campaign,’ PoliticMo: “Quietly during the holiday break, top staffers at U.S. Rep. Todd Akin’s senate campaign parted ways with Akin, according to the National Journal. Among those who left: Karl Hansen, Akin’s campaign manager; Chris LaCivita, his general consultant; and Heather Grote, his finance director. LaCivita confirmed with the National Journal that they all did leave the campaign, but did not offer further explanation. … Akin, who primarily pulls support from the conservative wing of the Republican party, faces two opponents in the Republican party next August, including St. Louis businessman John Brunner and former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman. Citing Akin’s repeated flubs, Steelman’s failure to raise significant campaign funds, and Brunner’s business baggage, the National Journal said, ‘the Missouri GOP field has been among the weakest in any of the tossup Senate races.’” http://bit.ly/whnRrQ

— Who is replacing his campaign manager? In a press release at 10:21 PM last night, Akin’s campaign announced that his son Perry, a former Marine Captain and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, will take the lead role. But sons leading campaigns isn’t new in this race — Sam Steelman, one of Sarah Steelman’s son, leads her campaign. 

— Richard Callow tweets: “Unless your son is named Andy - or you hire your daughter - making your kid the manager is a bad, bad move.” 

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, and welcome to PoliticMo Rundown. Send your tips, comments, and scoops to eli@politicmo.com.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY State Sen. Rob Schaaf. 

HOUSE LEADERS will hold their opening day press conference in the House Lounge early this afternoon, immediately following adjournment of the House. Republicans will go first, and about 30 minutes later, Democrats will follow. 

SENATE LEADERS will hold their opening day press conference in room 326 this morning, before they are scheduled to convene. Apparently leaders will appear together at 11:30 a.m. Scheduled: Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter; Senate Majority Floor Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles; Senate Appropriations Chairman Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia; and Senate Minority Floor Leader Victor Callahan, D-Independence.

SEN. ROY BLUNT will be in mid-Missouri again today, holding business roundtables in Lake Ozark, California, Booneville, Fayette, Marshall, Brusnswick, and Moberly. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS — Gov. Jay Nixon will deliver his State of the State Address on January 17. http://bit.ly/xMgDQk

LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN — ‘Nasheed will seek to unseat Wright-Jones in state Senate,’ Post-Dispatch: “The first legislative primary spawned by redistricting is poised to kick-off. Instead of competing in a House district that has been redrawn to include two of her colleagues, State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed will attempt to jump to the state Senate by taking on State Sen. Robin Wright-Jones in 2012. … Both Wright-Jones and Nasheed are St. Louis Democrats. It’s rare for an incumbent to get a serious challenge from within their party, but converging political circumstances have prompted Nasheed to make the leap. For Nasheed, running in a three-way House primary doesn’t pass the risk-reward test. Even if she was able to defeat State Reps. Karla May and Chris Carter for the rights to the consolidated district, term limits would cap her stay in the House.” http://bit.ly/z3B1PF

BRUNNER ON TV, AGAIN — Senate candidate John Brunner announced his third TV ad in four months yesterday, setting his tone for the 2012 race. Brunner’s spokesman wouldn’t divulge the size of the buy, but The Hill says it was more than $50,000: “Brunner … launched new radio and television ads on Tuesday, but neither address his GOP primary opponents. Instead, Brunner is going straight for McCaskill, the first-term Democrat who is bracing for a tough reelection fight in a state where President Obama is inherently unpopular.

“A Brunner spokesman called the statewide ad buy ‘substantial,’ declining to provide any figures. But a source tracking ad buys in Missouri said Brunner’s campaign has purchased about $53,000 in airtime from Jan. 2-8, divided roughly evenly among radio, broadcast television and cable. About $20,000 worth of ads will air in the Springfield, Mo. area, while almost $10,000 will be spent in the Kansas City market.” http://bit.ly/wq2fEZ

NOT GOING AWAY — ‘Some call Missouri presidential primary meaningless “beauty contest,”’ Southeast Missourian: “Missouri’s presidential primary is 34 days away, but local members of both political parties say the GOP’s statewide move to a caucus system this year has largely rendered the Feb. 7 election a meaningless — albeit expensive — ‘beauty contest.’ … The Missouri Republican Party voted in September to move to a caucus system that begins in March to allocate the state’s 52 presidential delegates. The party said its decision was made to stay in compliance with the rules of the national GOP that prohibits most states from holding presidential nominating contests before March 6. Violating states were threatened with the loss of half of their delegates to the Republican National Convention. But Crowell said other states have ignored the rule, including Florida, West Virginia and Nevada, without punishment. The bill for the election, estimated to be between $4 million to $8 million by the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, should go to the party, [State Sen. Jason] Crowell said, instead of taxpayers.” http://bit.ly/xYTdV7

— Facts of life: We’re stuck with it. There is no legislative option to nix the primary, in part because people have already started casting absentee ballots.  

IOWA REFLECTS PARTY DIVIDE — Sen. Jim Talent weighs in on what kind of Republican a “President Mitt Romney” would be: ‘First Vote Reinforces G.O.P.’s Ideological Divide,’ Jim Rutenberg in the New York Times: “All year long the story of the Republican race for president was Mitt Romney and a rotating cast playing the role of Someone Else. On Tuesday night, Someone Else was played by two candidates: Rick Santorum, the longtime champion of social conservative issues that were supposedly taking a backseat in this jobs-centric presidential race, and Ron Paul… who represents an almost 180-degree turn from the Republican Party’s direction. The down-to-the-wire result between Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum, with Mr. Paul close behind, ensured that the primary contests would be fought aggressively for additional weeks or months. … 

“The question is whether Mr. Romney can … persuade his party to coalesce behind him, and get on with the business of defeating Mr. Obama. Even some of Mr. Romney’s most enthusiastic backers do not pretend to believe he will necessarily emerge as a transformational figure who will define Republicanism the way Ronald Reagan — and to a lesser extent, George W. Bush — did. Declaring the Reagan-Bush era over as of 2008, former Senator Jim Talent of Missouri, a Romney booster, said, ‘We’re moving to something new and I don’t know if Governor Romney, if he’s the nominee, will be that new person or if he’ll be a transitional person.’ 

“But Mr. Talent argued that Mr. Romney was the most capable, electable and acceptable candidate for Republicans at large, and argued the party should focus on getting him into office and then return to the internal deliberations about its direction. ‘The whole Tea Party movement has tremendous influence and has a passionate group of activists who don’t like what is going on but beyond that, don’t necessarily agree on what they do want done,’ Mr. Talent said. ‘For others who aren’t sure the direction they want to go in, he’s at least the person to put your trust in as a capable person who can win and who they do trust will address the tremendous problems we’re facing now.’” http://nyti.ms/wfbnNj

SPORTZZZ — ‘No. 7 Missouri shows no signs of slowing down,’ FSM: The start of Big 12 play was supposed to signal stiffer competition and more of a test for the largely unchallenged Missouri Tigers. Try telling that to the Oklahoma Sooners. Non-conference play, conference play — it doesn’t appear to matter. As Oklahoma quickly found out, these undefeated Tigers are pretty darn impressive. 

“Missouri continued their hot-shooting Tuesday in their Big 12 Conference opener, steamrolling past an improved Sooner team, 87-49, at Mizzou Arena. … Missouri moved to 14-0 on the season, remaining one of four unbeaten teams in the country. And they might soon be convincing any remaining doubters claiming their early season success was the result of a weak schedule.” http://bit.ly/wVAm9g