286 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 195 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY

2012 #MOLEG SIREN — ‘Redistricting lawsuits could delay Missouri’s candidate filing,’ St. Louis Beacon: “Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s office is raising the possibility that candidate filing might be delayed from its scheduled Feb. 28 start because of several lawsuits challenging the new redistricting maps for the General Assembly and for Congress. In a carefully worded statement issued this afternoon, a spokesman said, ‘As of today, candidate filing is still set to start on Feb. 28. However, if the courts or the state legislature decides to move the date for the beginning of candidate filing, we will follow their directives.’ … The statement from the secretary of state’s office, which oversees candidate filing, hints of concern that the suits — or any court-ordered remedies — can be completed by Feb. 28.

“On Monday, a bipartisan group of former state legislators and current potential candidates filed suit with the state Supreme Court challenging the map for the 163 state House districts. The new suit challenging the state House map echoes the chief argument in the other court challenges… The suit asks the court to bar the secretary of state, which oversees candidate filing, from using the new state House boundaries established by a judicial panel on Nov. 30. The panel drew the boundaries after the failure of a bipartisan commission set up by Gov. Jay Nixon.” http://bit.ly/w11XMq

LT. GOV. RACE — In Columbia last night, we sat in on an event with Boone County Democrats and some statewide Democrats. The star in the room, for many local Democrats, wasn’t the person on stage (Clint Zweifel), it was a person in the crowd: Newly announced Lt. Governor candidate Judy Baker. But in an interview with PoliticMo, Zweifel said he will not endorse in the primary: “Zweifel said he will not endorse either Judy Baker or his former statewide colleague, former State Auditor Susan Montee, for the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor. Zweifel, a product of a primary and now a rising star among Missouri Democrats, said though challenging, a primary could be a good thing for the ultimate Democratic nominate. I think it made me into a better, stronger candidate on the campaign trail, and I’m someone who believes those primaries can serve a purpose and are helpful,’ he said. ‘I’d like to see high quality people elected, and the primary process helps determine that for us.’” http://bit.ly/wECKtV

HARTZLER CHALLENGE — Also roaming with Boone County Dems: Cass County prosecutor Teresa Hensley. Hensley announced her candidacy to a  liberal blog last week, and has been visiting supporters and building her campaign operation since. Per AP: “Cass County prosecutor Teresa Hensley of Harrisonville is forming a campaign committee to seek the Democratic nomination. Hensley spent 14 years in private practice before becoming prosecutor in 2005. Hartzler, a Republican, defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Ike Skelton in the 2010 general election. … No other Democrats have emerged so far as potential challengers to Hartzler.” http://apne.ws/AflWnU

#MOSEN — ‘Reid, McCaskill in running for ‘pork’ award,’ The Hill: “Earmarks were temporarily banned from appropriations bills last year, but that didn’t stop officials from misusing or attempting to misuse the federal spending process, Citizens Against Government Waste contends. … In the absence of earmarks, the list of offenses include a wider range of deeds than traditional pork-barrel spending.  From Congress, the nominees are Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.). … 

“This inclusion of McCaskill, who is in a tough reelection fight, is noteworthy because she has been a top crusader against earmarks. The group put her on the list for advocating that the troubled postal service start a marketing campaign to promote letter writing, an idea the group deems a waste of money. … McCaskill’s office questioned the group’s motives for putting the senator on the list. ‘Sniff. Sniff. Smells like election year politics. Claire’s record, which they’ve praised, speaks for itself,’ spokesman Trevor Kincaid said. Tom Schatz, the president of Citizens Against Government Waste, told The Hill his group was not playing politics against McCaskill but rather pointing out that waste goes on even if there is an earmark moratorium. ‘We have not gotten involved in that race,’ he said.” http://bit.ly/wbC5Zw

— Missouri GOP’s Lloyd Smith: “Chameleon Claire McCaskill is desperate to make Missourians believe she is on their side, but the truth is that she thumbs her nose at Missouri every chance she gets. Whether it is cap-and-trade, jobs, earmarks , or paying her taxes, Chameleon Claire has a nasty habit of saying one thing and doing another.”

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

SEN. ROY BLUNT holds his first weekly press call this year today at 10:30. 

St. LOUIS DOCTOR RANDY JOTTE announced this morning that he is entering the field for Republican nomination for congress in the second congressional district. 

RIVERFRONT TIMES will announce its Web Awards with an event tonight at the Old Rock House. PoliticMo was nominated for ‘Best Political Blog’, along with the St. Louis Beacon and a handful of others. Best of luck. 

PERSPECTIVE — Phil Brooks offered his thoughts on the governor’s speech last week with an column on KMOX: “‘State of the State: From Policy to Theater’: “Sitting in the House press gallery listening to Gov. Jay Nixon’s State of the State address, I began thinking back to about 30 years ago. … Like today, Missouri was facing deep cuts in state spending growth. Like today, state government spending had grown at a rate that officials clearly knew could not be sustained. Like Nixon, Bond was facing a legislature dominated by the opposition’s political party.

“But the similarities between now and 1981 end there. State of the State addresses have evolved to something quite different from what Bond and earlier governors of his era had presented to the legislature. Decades ago, the State of the State was a detailed policy presentation. Unlike Nixon’s address, Bond went at great length discussing the state’s budget problems and his spending proposals. He outlined a detailed legislative agenda. His speech was filled with specific facts and numbers as to the causes for the budget crisis, the steps he had taken and the further steps he recommended to the legislature. It was a detailed and complicated public policy plan. In the past, the governor’s speech was followed by a news conference at which the governor’s proposals were explored even more in depth. Unlike today, bills containing the governor’s agenda were identified along with legislators who had agreed to sponsor the proposals. … 

“I do not intend to suggest that Nixon has departed from standard practice. Rather, it has been a slow evolution during several different administrations that has changed Missouri’s State of the State from a policy address to something akin to political theater. Why the change? One of major factor was moving the address from daytime into the evening. … It no longer is an address to legislators. It’s a speech to the general public and, of course, to the voters. The boring minutia of policy that legislators want to hear is not going to sell as TV performance for the general public. … 

“With an evening presentation, it’s too late for substantive policy briefings to answer questions and explore the details of the governor’s proposals after the speech. … In fact, just before Nixon’s presentation, top legislative leaders acknowledged they had no idea what the governor was going to propose. As a result, formal reaction from the opposition party tends to be another speech that might have little relationship to what the governor had to say. That happened after Nixon’s speech. The formal Republican response actually had been recorded before the governor even spoke. … Maybe there should be two State of the State addresses — one for the general public and one for the legislators themselves.” http://cbsloc.al/wvdvQU

WAGNER/MARTIN CHALLENGE — Jotte’s set to challenge Wagner, Martin in the 2nd,’ St. Louis Beacon: “Dr. Randy Jotte contends that his experience as an emergency room physician is just the type of ‘independent-thinking approach’ needed in Congress. Jotte, a Republican, says that’s why he is jumping in to the already combative contest for the 2nd District congressional seat, which takes in parts of St. Louis and St. Charles counties. Two Republicans — Ann Wagner, a former ambassador and state party chief, and St. Louis lawyer Ed Martin — have been competing for months. … At a minimum, Jotte will face financial challenges.  Wagner’s last campaign-finance report, filed in October, showed her with more than $850,000 in the bank — and she is expected to report far more when congressional reports are filed next week.” http://bit.ly/xsKiHk

MISSOURI CAP LEGISLATION — The Kansas City Star published a critical editorial regarding some plans in the Missouri House to cap the state budget based on a new formula: “House legislators in Jefferson City wasted no time giving a thumbs up to a proposed constitutional amendment that would lock in Missouri’s standing as a pathologically cheap state that fails to invest in its institutions and people. The Senate should shelve this bad idea. … Missouri already has a constitutional spending restraint, the Hancock Amendment. … Now some lawmakers want to limit spending even further to the annual rates of inflation and population change, plus 1.5 percent of the revenue collected by the state in the previous year. … 

“Lawmakers who voted for the amendment say they want to build up the state’s reserve funds and guard against wild swings of spending and cutting. Those are reasonable objectives. But the rigid proposed cap would prevent state leaders from setting healthy priorities and making up lost ground. … Spending caps are political winners, but Missouri’s lawmakers and governor should be talking about raising revenues for a state that is falling behind.” http://bit.ly/z6EZtb 

JOPLIN RECOVERY — ‘Demolition To Begin Sunday On Joplin Hospital,’ KMBC: “Perhaps the most well-known and obvious reminder of the tornado that devastated Joplin in May is about to come down. … Demolition work will begin Sunday at St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Joplin, the hospital that was virtually destroyed in the May 22 twister that killed 161 people in the southwest Missouri community. St. John’s Mercy president Gary Pulsipher says taking down the hospital is another step in the recovery process for Joplin. … Crews will use a wrecking ball to tear down the hospital’s west tower. Specialized grappling equipment will reach up 15 stories to pull down the east tower.” http://bit.ly/zJ71lw

SPORTZZ — A big, bold, ’No. 2’ tops this mornings ‘Columbia Missourian,’ noting the spot the latest coaches poll places Missouri’s basketball team. From the Missourian: “The Missouri men’s basketball team moved to No. 2 in the latest editions of The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls after a convincing 89-88 win over then-No. 3 Baylor on Saturday in Waco, Texas. … The Tigers (18-1, 5-1 Big 12), previously ranked No. 5, passed Syracuse, Baylor and Duke, which all lost this week. No. 3 Syracuse (20-1) lost 67-58 to Notre Dame, which Missouri defeated 87-58 earlier this season. … The last time the Tigers were No. 2 was Week 4 of 2001. That 2001-2002 team went on to lose in the second round of the NCAA tournament and finished the season unranked.” http://bit.ly/xvnjs1