279 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 188 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY

FIRST IN POLITICMO — Spence releases new ad — The script: 

ANNCER:  “Missouri’s falling behind. Its time for a new leader. Dave Spence. He grew a company, created jobs.”

DAVE SPENCE:  “I’m Dave Spence. The career politicians worry about keeping their own jobs.  I’m different, as Governor I’ll worry about making sure you and your neighbors have good jobs. Too many people are out of work and the career politicians don’t know how to fix it.  Well you know what, I do.”

ANNCER: “Dave Spence for Governor.’

DS: “Missouri doesn’t need more taxes, we need more jobs….and creating jobs is what I do.”

ANNCER: “Dave Spence”

— Spence campaign manager Jared Craighead: “The Spence campaign has made a substantial statewide advertising buy to start introducing Dave to Missourians and contrast his 27 years of creating jobs with Jay Nixon’s abysmal jobs record. Voters are just finding out that Dave Spence is a proven job creator who will get Missourians back to work.  Jay Nixon is a 25-year career politician with a record of putting out press releases not creating jobs. One release Nixon didn’t put out is that Missouri was 50th in change in employment since the economic downturn.  It’s time Missourians realize they have a choice this fall—- re-elect Nixon and save one politician’s job or elect Dave Spence and save everyone else’s job.” 

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LAST NIGHT IN BRANSON — ‘Akin, Steelman spar over earmarks in debate,’ PoliticMo: “Republican U.S. Senate candidates Todd Akin and Sarah Steelman generally found common ground during their second debate this year. The two said they support capping and balancing the federal budget, eliminating the department of education, and laws against same sex marriage. But the two contrasted themselves on their opposing positions on earmarks. Akin said he is for the process… [and] it would be ‘nuts’ to ban them entirely and allow the president to decide where the money is spent. … 

“The two united, however, over criticism of the elephant not in the room: Their other challenger, St. Louis businessman John Brunner, who has not yet attended a debate. Steelman accused him of ‘basically trying to buy this election’ with television ads. Akin, who joked with Steelman that the two should purchase a GPS navigator for Brunner, said ‘we don’t mind coming out and talking.’ Brunner’s campaign said he will be joining them soon enough. Brunner is scheduled to be on stage at the Missouri Republican Party’s candidate forum in February, two debates in St. Louis in March, one in Springfield in May, and another in St. Joseph hosted by Eagle Communications later this year.” http://bit.ly/xOOCBd

… AND IN $T. LOUI$ —  ‘Brunner’s first finance report tops $1.26 million,’ PoliticMo: “With a significant investment from the candidate himself, John Brunner’s U.S. Senate campaign will report raising $1.26 million in his first quarter as a declared candidate, according to campaign finance documents obtained exclusively by PoliticMo. Brunner, a St. Louis businessman vying for the Republican nomination to take on U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill later this year, contributed just over $1.03 million to his own campaign. Additionally, the campaign reported $229,067.24 in individual contributions, half of which came from individuals who gave less than $200. … Brunner’s campaign spent nearly $1.1 million, some of that on campaign ads and staff, leaving them with $209,249 left on hand.” http://bit.ly/A9krZ9

— John Brunner’s @JonSeaton18 during debate: “@sarah_steelman and @ToddAkin decline to say how much they raised in the 4Q. Surely they weren’t out-raised by a newcomer? #BransonDebate” 

— Missouri Democratic Party’s @CaitLeg tweets: “Brunner is skipping #bransondebate because he’s busy counting his campaign’s Cash on Hand…by hand. $210k #wheresbrunner #mosen” 

POTUS 2012 —  ‘Santorum sets sights on Missouri,’ James Hohmann in POLITICO: “Rick Santorum returned to the campaign trail here on Monday, stressing that he plans to make a mark in Missouri’s primary next week. … The Monday policy speech was Santorum’s first public appearance in 72 hours. He canceled three events on Sunday to care for his three-year-old daughter, Bella, who was admitted to the hospital with a life-threatening case of pneumonia. … 

“Santorum’s visit to Missouri the day before the Florida primary - where he is expected to place third - marks a shift in the campaign in which the ex-senator is expected to focus on smaller, cheaper states that hold caucuses, and dole out delegates to the convention proportionally. He is focusing particular attention on Missouri because Newt Gingrich is not on the ballot here and it offers Santorum a coveted chance to go head-to-head with Mitt Romney. Top Santorum strategist John Brabender said Missouri demographics mirror the senator’s home state of Pennsylvania — Santorum touts the fact that he is a Republican who has won a swing state — especially the state’s strong, but declining manufacturing base. He said Santorum, who is almost certain to return to the Show Me State in the next few days, will heavily contrast his blue-collar roots against Romney’s background in an effort to woo low-income voters. … Missouri’s Feb. 7 primary is a non-binding popularity contest, and the winner gets no delegates. Delegates will be awarded in caucuses later in the month. As a result, Santorum is now the first candidate to campaign publicly here (Romney has held a fundraiser). … A good showing for Santorum in Missouri, the next state on the calendar after Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, would give the ex-senator a much needed boost at a critical time. And there’s some reason to believe the state is sympathetic to his conservatism.” http://bit.ly/wKvFpP

— Best part about the Hohmann? The shout out to a MU J-School grad and pride of Kansas City: “Juana Summers contributed to this report.” 

IN ROMNEY-LAND, Former Missouri U.S. Sen. Jim Talent will join a press conference call focused on Nevada on Tuesday to criticize Speaker Gingrich’s record. He will be joined by Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki and Former Congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich. 

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Democratic National Committee’s midwest press secretary Derrick L. Plummer… Joncee Nodler… 

OUT TODAY — PPP’s new Missouri poll. Keep your eyes open — ought to be interesting. 

GOV. JAY NIXON will be in Shelbyville today to dices his support for the Flanagan South Pipeline project, which, if built would cross 11 Missouri counties. After the event, Nixon will hold a press call for out of town reporters. 

ATTORNEY GENERAL CHRIS KOSTER will be in our neck of the woods today, doing two events on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia. Early in the afternoon, Koster will speak about the Turner v. Clayton lawsuit and other education topics. Later, he will present the ant annual Attorney General’s Cup to the University of Missouri team. 

REP. RUSS CARNAHAN will be in St. Louis tomorrow hosting a transportation leadership meeting. 

STATE REP.’s BILL WHITE, CHARLIE DAVIS will host Americorps representatives at the state capitol tomorrow morning to thank them for their work in Joplin following the May tornado. 

STAFF CHANGE —The RNC announced Tuesday that Matt Connelly will takeover the party’s midwest regional operation. Per outgoing regional press secretary Ryan Tronovitch (who is going back to his Northeast beat for the party): “His name is Matt Connelly and we are excited to have him as part of the team and expand upon our communications efforts.  Matt most recently worked for Governor Huntsman and he will be a welcome addition to the office. … I’ll miss working with everyone and thoroughly enjoyed working with such a great group of people.” 

— On the Twitters: @MattConnelly. 

ECODEVO — ‘Mo. economic development appointee faces challenge,’ AP: “Senators questioned the governor’s nominee, Jason Hall, during a lengthy hearing but took no action toward advancing the appointment to the full Senate. Hall was the executive director of the Missouri Technology Corp. since 2009 before the appointment. The Missouri Technology Corp. is a nonprofit entity with a board partially appointed by the governor and employees who are paid by the state. Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer said there are concerns about Hall’s experience and an audit critical of the Missouri Technology Corp. Mayer said he expects discussion to continue, and the Senate committee responsible for reviewing appointments was scheduled to meet Wednesday. … An issue from the audit is an allegation by then-state Auditor Susan Montee, a Democrat, that Hall made political threats against her as her staff worked on the audit and she campaigned for re-election before losing to Republican Tom Schweich. Montee said Hall at one point highlighted he was a “good friend” of Schweich, who has said he knows Hall from previous work at the same law firm but does not consider him a close friend and did not recall speaking with Hall about the audit. … 

“Hall said he supports an economic development plan proposed by Nixon. However, he said he had no opinion on legislative proposals to overhaul Missouri’s prevailing wage law and make Missouri a right-to-work state in which it would be illegal to require workers to pay union fees as a condition of employment. Hall said he believes the department needs to be aggressive and boost economic development while protecting taxpayers.” 

— Missouri Chamber of Commerce release put out a release yesterday afternoon urging lawmakers to confirm hall: Dan Mehan, President/CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry:  “Jason Hall brings great experience and knowledge to this position and the business community can greatly benefit from his appointment by the Senate. We are strongly urging the Senate to confirm Mr. Hall and get Missouri back on track and attracting businesses to our state.”

— MOBIO’s @AlexTEaton: “Organizations endorsing Jason Hall as new #DED director: @MissouriChamber @KCALSI #MSU #CivicProgress @bioSTL… @STLCo_growth #WashU @DanforthCenter #IIALS @MissouriBIO #CivicCouncil of KC… FTR, those organizations I know have endorsed, could be more” 

MOGOV — POLITICO’s Dave Catanese says Nixon won January: “Republican businessman Dave Spence is swiftly learning the lessons for first-time candidates. Rule No. 1: Make sure your bio is straight. The wealthy former packaging company CEO was mocked for attempting to pass off a “home economics” degree as a straight “economics” diploma. Then he got caught saying the stimulus “saved our bacon” in a free-wheeling radio interview. And in a sign he has work to do with the grass roots, he got clobbered in a straw poll in the conservative southwest portion of the state by attorney Bill Randalls. None of these developments is fatal — especially when the Show-Me State just led the country in job losses in a single month — but Spence can’t afford to keep the training wheels on too long against a formidable incumbent like Gov. Jay Nixon.”http://bit.ly/zxTTNw

EARMARKS — ‘McCaskill introduces permanent earmark ban in Congress,’ Missouri News Horizon: “A bill introduced Monday by Sens. Claire McCaskill and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., would bring an end to the controversial practice, where in lawmakers can set aside money for pork barrel spending in the form of pet projects or limited tax credits back in their district. The bill, titled the ‘Earmark Elimination Act,’ is designed to strengthen and extend a temporary ban that is scheduled to expire at the end of 2012. The bill would try to close current loopholes by creating a new legislative point of order that could block earmarks without killing the larger bill that contains them. McCaskill and Toomey’s legislation would require a two-thirds vote in congress to override an earmark point of order. McCaskill has been particularly critical on the impact earmarks could have on Missouri given last year’s natural disasters. She said earmarks allow lawmakers from other states to divers disaster recovery funds from where they are needed most.” http://bit.ly/wu2Xai

2012 LEGISLATING — ‘Missouri Black Caucus promises fight over bill limiting discrimination lawsuits,’ KC Star: “A group of African American lawmakers today vowed to oppose legislation making its way through the Missouri House and Senate that would make it more difficult to prove discrimination cases against former employers. At a news conference at the Missouri Capitol, the Legislative Black Caucus argued that the bill would roll back decades of civil rights progress while protecting wrongdoers by limiting damages that can be awarded if discrimination is proven. … 

“At issue is a pair of bills that each would require workers who claim discrimination in wrongful termination lawsuits to prove that bias was a ‘motivating’ factor instead of a ‘contributing’ factor, as mandated under current law. The change would make state law mirror the federal Civil Rights Act. The bills also lower the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in an employment discrimination case. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed similar legislation last year.” http://bit.ly/wJqHhy

2012 PETITIONING — ‘Missouri petition campaigns aim to cap payday interest rates, boost state’s minimum wage,’ AP: “Two Missouri organizations are working together to push ballot measures seeking to cap payday loan interest rates and increase the state minimum wage. Missourians for Responsible Lending and Give Missourians A Raise kicked off the two initiative petition campaigns at a joint event Saturday at the Boone County Commission Chambers. The group Grass Roots Organizing put on the event. … The Give Missourians A Raise initiative seeks to boost the state minimum wage by a dollar to $8.25 an hour. The Missourians for Responsible Lending initiative seeks to cap the interest, fees and charges for payday, car title and installment loans at 36 percent. Critics of payday lending have said the annual interest rates for such loans can exceed 400 percent.” http://bit.ly/ADePFq

SPORTZZ — ‘Missouri holds off thundering Texas rally,’ AP: “ Michael Dixon’s flagrant foul down the stretch nearly cost his team the game. About 40 seconds later, he won it. Dixon’s layup with 31 seconds left gave No. 4 Missouri the lead and Marcus Denmon’s rebound after a final miss by Texas’ Myck Kabongo sealed a tough 67-66 victory for the Tigers on Monday night. … Missouri continues its impressive season under first-year head coach Frank Haith, who was a Texas assistant under Longhorns coach Rick Barnes from 2002-04 before taking over the University of Miami program. Haith was with Barnes during a three-year stretch that ranks among the best in school history.” http://usat.ly/w9MGjU