AG Race Result to Be Decided Today

Robin Carnahan is expected to announce the results of the Attorney General recount today, and it sounds like Chris Koster will retain his victory over Margaret Donnelly for the Democratic nomination.

I was wrong on this election - way wrong, and I deeply regret it.

I thought Jeff Harris was the one who had the best chance to defeat Chris Koster. Bright, friendly, experienced, and endorsed by people from all over the state, he ran a good campaign, though he was heavily outspent. Polls showed him leading by double digits. (My first line in that post seems cruelly on-target today - "Only fools take polls very seriously, but I'm foolish enough to be blown away by AG candidate Jeff Harris' showing in the recent poll released by the St. Louis Post Dispatch.")

When I met Margaret Donnelly, I wrote "Margaret Donnelly seems like a fantastically dedicated and fine Democrat. She is not, however, a particularly good candidate for Attorney General." That "not particularly good candidate" defeated my candidate by more than 30,000 votes, and came with around 780 votes (we'll know the true number later today) of defeating Chris Koster.

Could my endorsement and enthusiastic support have made a difference? When the margin is that slight, every tiny facet plays a part. While I don't blame myself for supporting Jeff Harris, I do blame myself for dismissing Margaret Donnelly.

It appears that, later today, Chris Koster will finally grab AG nomination for the Democrats.

Will I support him? I need to ponder that one . . .

Should Donnelly Seek a Recount?

Tuesday night's primary surprised a lot of people, myself very much included. As the vote counts trickled in, the margin between Koster and Donnelly bounced around in the hundreds. When I finally went to bed, I hoped that I would wake up to find that Margaret Donnelly had managed to scrape together enough votes to bring in a winner.

As of this writing, fewer than 900 votes separate Koster and Donnelly. 500 votes in St. Louis County were not counted. Yesterday morning, Margaret Donnelly issued the following statement:

At this time we are waiting for certification from the Secretary of State's office. We know that there are still over 500 votes that have not been counted in St. Louis County. And while we are not aware of similar situations elsewhere, we have not had the time to investigate other election jurisdictions. After certification we will weigh our options, including asking for a recount.

A recount often results in changed totals, and it could strengthen Koster's margin, or reverse it.

Meanwhile, the Republican AG nominee, Mike Gibbons, would like nothing more than an extended fight between the Democrats.

So, readers, what should Margaret Donnelly do? Should she seek a recount? Should she accept the reported totals as they stand, and begin the process of welcoming Chris Koster into the party, now that he's been through the most elaborate and painful initiation ritual since hell week at the KA house?

Koster Won't Use the "D word"

Have you noticed anything funny about Chris Koster's yard signs?

They don't use the word "Democrat".

I would put up a photo of one, but it appears most of the people who had Koster signs took them down in disgust when they heard about his ethical problems with money laundering in fundraising. If I find one in the yard of someone who has a strong enough stomach for Koster's behavior, I'll try to get a snapshot and post it.

Jeff Harris and Margaret Donnelly both proudly claim to be Democrats on their yard sings. Perhaps Koster's Republican donors would not pay for signs with the "D word".

Molly Korth Williams Starts Rattling a Few Cages

The Williams campaign just sent me a link to this video -



This is the first volley I've seen from the Williams campaign, and it's a little surprising that it goes after Donnelly. If I were going to attack an AG candidate for voting Republican, I'd go ahead and focus on the genuine Republican in the race, Chris Koster, who has a long history of voting Republican and still raises money from Republicans.

Does Williams' odd choice of targets provide more evidence to support those who think that she was recruited into the race by Chris Koster's friends?

AG Race - Harris on Top!

Only fools take polls very seriously, but I'm foolish enough to be blown away by AG candidate Jeff Harris' showing in the recent poll released by the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Jeff Harris is leading by double digits over Chris Koster and Margaret Donnelly!

A few cautionary words are in order - this poll was done before the TV blitz, which has begun and will continue. Chris Koster's republican donors and third party committees - 81% of his war chest - have made it possible for him to interrupt our television viewing more often than Katie Horner in a rainsuit. Second, the survey shows 23% undecided, which means that a lot of people could be influenced by those ads. (Theoretically, though, it also means that Molly Korth Williams could build upon her base of 1% and defeat Koster 24-23. Go Molly!!)

On the plus side of the unknowns, though, the undecideds and some of Donnelly's support may tilt toward Harris, since most democrats are unlikely to support a candidate who endorsed John Ashcroft, campaigned against Governor Mel Carnahan, and helped kick hundreds of thousands of Missourians out of health coverage.

The poll also does not reflect the impact of Jeff Harris' television advertising, which will probably be less widespread yet more effective than Koster's. It's easier to sell a Democrat to Democrats than it is to sell an Ashcroft Republican.

Another reason to suggest that the poll may under-represent Harris' advantage is that the news continues to break on Koster's shady campaigning. Now, we've learned that he has a pending ethics complaint to worry about, based on his money-laundering tactics. Things are crumbling for Mr. Koster.

All told, it's just a poll, and those who want to see a real Democrat in the AG's office cannot mistake a road sign for the destination. Until Jeff Harris wins on August 5 and on November 4, this race is up in the air. Indeed, now would be a great time to go to ActBlue and make a donation for Jeff Harris, to make sure that he does not get outgunned by Koster's republican buddies.

Please Don't Vote for Koster

The Associated Press dropped a bombshell on Missouri politics yesterday when it detailed the cozy triangle funneling money from donors to committees to candidates, and pointed to Chris Koster as the most flagrant and sloppy abuser of the system. Go read the article if you have a strong stomach - it's a disquieting look at the sort of person who views breaking the law as a game that everybody plays, even when they don't.

Let me state this clearly - Chris Koster is NOT a strong enough person to be our Attorney General.

He has demonstrated this time and time again. From his flip-flopping on pro-life positions, to his incendiary tactic of "calling the previous question" against my Senator, Jolie Justus, to his sudden, unconvincing switch to the Democratic party (when it appeared that Catherine Hanaway had the Republican AG primary sewn up), Koster has always sought out the quick fix, the easy way out.

Just look at the way he has conducted himself in this campaign. He has won the fund-raising race, but only because he has raised 81% of his total through his get-rich-quick scheme that sends campaign workers out to trade envelopes with shadowy groups throughout the state. He has NOT done the hard work of meeting ordinary, non-millionaire people throughout the state, the way his opponents have.

When it looked like Margaret Donnelly might have a gender advantage in a three-way race, he arranged for Molly "I'm not serious" Williams to muddy the issue.

When his right-wing donor friends invited him back with their wallets opened, Koster responded by reverting to his Republican ways.

More than any position in the legislative or executive branches, the Attorney General needs to be the sort of person with rock-solid integrity and dependability. Jeff Harris has that. Even though I'm supporting Jeff, I would never deny that Margaret Donnelly has that rock-solid integrity and dependability, as well.

Sometime during the term of the next Attorney General, there will come a time when justice and our Constitution require that the Attorney General do one thing, but the easy way out will beckon to the other path. I know that two of the Democratic primary candidates will do the right thing in that situation.

I also know that Chris Koster will take the easy way out and roll with what is popular.

Please don't vote for Koster. It's important that we have an Attorney General with strong values he or she will stand with, even when it's not easy.

Don't Forget the AG Debate Tomorrow!

Tomorrow night, the Committee for County Progress is hosting a debate for all four Democratic candidates in the Missouri Attorney General Primary. The doors will be open at White Recital Hall in the UMKC Performing Arts Center at 5:30, and the debate will start at 6:00. It's free.

Even though it's obvious to anyone who has met all the candidates that Jeff Harris is the best candidate, the event will hold some suspense for even the most savvy observers.

Will Koster admit that his only experience in the AG's office was working for a Republican criminal? Will he continue to conflate the roles of Missouri Attorney General and County Prosecuting Attorney? Will he luridly describe crimes rather than explain his continued support of Republican votes?

Will Donnelly express amazement that the roads in Kansas City are paved, just like in St. Louis, the center of her universe?

Will Molly Williams make a credible and serious showing? (That's a genuine question - just to see if you're paying attention.)

Will Jeff Harris announce yet another important labor endorsement?

This debate offers you a wonderful opportunity to see the candidates and form your independent opinion that I am correct, and that Jeff Harris is the only one with Democratic values combined with high-level Attorney General experience.

Don't Take My Word For It - Come And See the AG Candidates for Yourself

Here's a rare opportunity - indeed, probably a unique opportunity on this side of the state of Missouri. On May 22, the Committee for County Progress is hosting a debate for all four Democratic candidates in the Missouri Attorney General Primary. You are invited. You will be welcomed. The doors will open at White Recital Hall in the UMKC Performing Arts Center at 5:30, and the debate will start at 6:00. There will even be a free reception afterward.

I know I've been pretty direct in my assessment of the candidates - Harris is the only one with the Democratic values combined with high-level Attorney General experience, and deserves to win the primary election and the general election. If you're content to take my word for it, then go ahead and do something else on May 22nd, but, if you want to form your own opinion, show up at UMKC.

Here are a few ways to figure out if you're in the right place. If you see Chris Koster there, talking about being a prosecutor, and avoiding all mention of his time working for a criminal Republican in the AG's office, you're in the right place. If you see Margaret Donnelly there, with her campaign staff telling her that Kansas City is St. Louis' western most suburb, you're in the right place. If you see Molly Korth Williams there, wearing a "Koster" button "because Judge Dandurand asked me to", you're in the right place. If you see Jeff Harris there, tuning up a guitar, you're in the right place.

Mark your calendar today, and come out to the Attorney General debate. See if you agree with my pick . . .

Did Chris Koster Recruit Molly Korth Williams?

Over at the Pitch, David Martin connects a few dots and surmises that Molly Korth Williams' last-minute and half-hearted filing for the Missouri Attorney General Democratic primary was engineered by Chris Koster.

Here's the evidence:

- Koster is a very close friend of Judge Joe Dandurand.
- Williams is a very close friend of Judge Joe Dandurand.
- Koster (and, to be fair as always, Jeff Harris, the only candidate with strong experience in the Attorney General's office) may benefit from having another woman in the race to dilute Margaret Donnelly's perceived advantage among gender-based voters.
- Williams is not running a serious race, in that she took off for a vacation immediately after filing, and has not formed a committee to raise funds.
- The recruitment of primary challengers to weaken other candidates has been a hallmark of Cass County (Dandurand and Koster's home base) politics for years. (Actually, Martin didn't make that point, but I will.)
- Williams is a spectacularly weak candidate, with neither money, nor experience, nor even a job in the legal field.
- Koster's campaign doesn't even deny it.

Personally, I think this clipping I took from the Association for Women Lawyers newsletter says all that needs to be said about the relationship of Koster's friend and the new candidate, as well as the tenor of the "Williams for AG campaign":

Donnelly, Harris & Koster Together

The hottest primary in the state is between Margaret Donnelly, Jeff Harris and Chris Koster. They bring different backgrounds and visions to the race. The three of them will appear together on May 22 at a debate sponsored by the Committee for County Progress, free and open to the public, at White Recital Hall on the campus of UMKC. The event is currently scheduled to start at 6, though that could change. If so, I'll post a notice here. The debate will be moderated by Steve Kraske, of The Kansas City Star, Eric Wesson, from The Call, and Mike Mahoney, from KMBC-TV9.

Here's a pdf flier for the event.

This is the only joint appearance scheduled for the Western side of the state, and it should offer a great opportunity to meet and hear the candidates for yourselves.

Koster Misses an Opportunity to "Show Me"

Chris Koster needs to convince Missouri Democrats that he is really a Democrat if he is going to stand a chance in the Democratic primary for Missouri Attorney General. Many of us have adopted a "Show Me" policy, and are waiting to see what he can do over the next several months to atone for his years of vigorously opposing Democrats in our state capital.

One such opportunity came to him in the chance to support the Jackson County Democratic Committee. That Committee is hosting a fundraiser on February 7 to support increased activity in 2008. The theme is Make Missouri Blue Together! - what a perfect opportunity to prove that he's really one of us, really working to make Missouri a Democratic state.

He passed up the opportunity. Here's the list of supporters of making Missouri blue, and Chris Koster is not on it.

Jeff Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for the Attorney General position, appears prominently on the list of donors, even though nobody can doubt his Democratic credentials. (Margaret Donnelly is not on the list, but her absence is understandable, since she is running as the St. Louis candidate, and concentrating her campaign entirely within the I-270 loop.)

I know that Chris Koster has far smarter (and better paid) political advisers than me. He's even paid Jeff Roe for his advice, so he's had access to the full range of political input.

But it seems to me that if I were a candidate trying to prove that I am a real Democrat, and I have a real interest in Jackson County, I would have seized the opportunity to invest some of right wing Rex Sinquefield's money in this event.

372,039 Problems with Anonymous "Insiders"

To live up to a title like that, this post would need to rattle on for for a few pages, at least. But I wanted to point out that a few weeks ago, an anonymous commenter assured us that Jeff Harris was out of money, and would not last until the primary. Without even bothering to call the Harris campaign and check on his finances, I offered to place a bet on that proposition. Naturally, the anonymous commenter refused to back the factual allegation with any proof, or even a few bucks.

Tuesday, the campaign reports came out, showing that Harris has $372,039.11 in cash on hand. I wish I were "out of money" like that! While it's true that Koster has him beat in cash on hand, we have to remember that Koster took a ton of money from right wing interest groups, and that money is likely to cost him votes. Koster's also borrowed half of the difference between them, so the gap isn't quite as large as it appears. As for Donnelly, her lead over Harris is composed entirely of debt.

My point is not to downplay the importance of the money in this race - money is clearly crucial in a statewide race, and I strongly encourage all Missourians who want a Democratic Attorney General with experience to head over to Jeff Harris' site immediately and make a donation.

My point is that when anonymous commenters start providing "facts" without sources, set your BS filter to "high". We were lied to by someone supporting Koster.

What Can Koster Do in 2008?

One of the commenters on a previous thread sought to assure Democrats like me that Koster would prove his Democratic bona fides during the Senate session in 2008. The comment provoked me to wonder, just what in the heck can Koster do in one Senate session to atone for his past and to assuage the concerns of those of us who think of him as a self-absorbed pretty face with zero integrity and no principle above self-promotion?

It's a nice thought - I would love to be able to accept Chris at face value, and I'd love to see him accomplish some miracle in the Senate that would convince me and others that his conversion to the Democrat side of the aisle is something more than an unfortunate misunderstanding of the strength of Republican Attorney General opposition. I would relish the thought that Chris was running toward Democratic values instead of away from Catherine Hanaway.

Unfortunately, I just don't think he can do it. I really don't see how a rising star Republican can, over the course of a few months as one of 34 senators, convince the party faithful that he is really one of us. It's not a slight against Koster - I don't think that Harris or Donnelly, after their years of advocacy for the Democrats, could convince Republicans that they were really Republicans, either. While hope spring eternal and true Democrats can (and do) believe in redemption, we're in the Show-Me State.

If Chris toes the Democratic Party line for the next session, most of us will think "so what?", and chalk it up to political expediency. If Chris votes with his old friends on the Republican side, most of us will see it as evidence that his conversion is as shallow as his principles. Furthermore, there's not much that a single Senator can accomplish, anyhow. Senatorial politics is a team sport, and Chris isn't going to be quarterback of either team.

Perhaps I'm mistaken, and Koster will work some kind of magic that will convince loyal Democrats that he is one of us. I'll be watching, but I will frankly admit I'm cynical about Chris' depth and his chances. Show us, Chris Koster.

AG Candidate Donnelly Loses Case & Presumption of Legal Skill?

I was surprised when AG Candidate Margaret Donnelly filed a lawsuit challenging the secrecy of the Missouri Ethics Commission hearings. Even though I share the politically voyeuristic urge to see who is seeking to argue hardship and hold onto their large campaign donations, the statute creating the Missouri Ethics Commission seems awfully clear that it is an exempted from the Sunshine Law.

If the case had merit, I figured that Jeff Harris, who has actually served as an Assistant Missouri Attorney General working with Attorney General Jay Nixon, would have gotten involved. He knows the law a lot better than Donnelly does, so when he opted not to get on board, I figured that he knew the ship was going to sink.

It did.

Sadly, Donnelly is going to keep banging her head on the wall. “This is the first step in a long process,” she said. “I’m going forward because I think people are fed up with government operating behind closed doors." I agree with her that people would like to know more about the hearings.

But curiosity is not a cause of action, and wishing the law were written differently is not a winning argument.

Margaret Donnelly decided to demonstrate her legal acumen during her campaign, and now we all get to see what the courts think of her arguments.

As I wrote before, I met Margaret Donnelly and was unimpressed with her political judgment. Now that I've seen her legal judgment, I'm equally unimpressed.

Thank God we have Jeff Harris in the race.

Koster the Imposter Brought Home the Bacon

CAFO is a word that you'll hear a lot more as the AG race heats up. CAFO is an acronym for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, more commonly known as a factory farm. They replace the image of farms we all grew up with with super-sized concentrations of pigs, jammed together in hideous conditions. I'm no PETA member, but even I don't like the idea of eating something that has spent its entire life jammed in a stinky stall like the most crowded and flatulent elevator you have ever imagined.

Setting aside any porcine pity or tenderness for tenderloins, though, CAFOs are huge canker sores on the environment. They pollute ground water with unimaginable quantities of pig feces and urine. Their smell can make your eyes water, or worse - airborne micro-particles of pig feces can pollute entire zones of beautiful Missouri countrysides.

Economical disaster mirrors the impact on quality of life. Corporate farms don't drive the pick-up to the local feed mill for supplies - they import vast quantities of whatever they need on shiny 18 wheelers without contributing positively to the local economy. CAFOs drive family farmers out of business, and towns disappear when there are no people to shop on Main Street.

Not surprisingly, local communities have sought to protect their towns and the Missouri landscape from these destructive behemoths. Much like the zoning laws that protected Koster when he was living in Hallbrook or in wealthy St. Louis suburbs, local controls are ways for the people of Missouri's towns to preserve their way of life and the towns they have grown up in.

Also not surprisingly, corporate interests have the money to buy legislative protection. Also not surprisingly, Chris Koster was for sale when he was a Republican Senator. He became so enthusiastic about CAFO and the wealthy donors that control them that he actually sponsored SB 364, mockingly entitled the Missouri Farm and Food Preservation Act.

What would SB 364 have done? It would have loosened environmental controls on these factory farms. Not tightened the controls to prevent the spread of disease and environmental damage, but actually loosen those controls, to enhance profits. It also would have prevented counties from controlling their own jurisdictions, ripping local control away from the locals and insisting that only state or federal regulations could be applied to CAFOs.

This is not some act of ancient history I dug out of the vaults - this happened this year, during the 2007 legislative session, while Koster was supposedly becoming a Democrat! Mere months ago, Koster was siding with corporate hog farms against small town Missourians in a classic Republican power play. Now he wants us to trust him?

Personally, I think that stinks like . . . a hog farm.

By the way, both Democrats in the race, Jeff Harris and Margaret Donnelly, opposed the CAFO bill.

Meeting Margaret Donnelly & Sticking with Jeff Harris

Margaret Donnelly is running for Missouri Attorney General, and I had the opportunity to meet her yesterday evening. I went with an open mind, because my admiration for Jeff Harris pales in comparison to my desire to keep the Attorney General's Office in Democratic hands. If she proved to be a better candidate than Jeff Harris, I was prepared to get enthusiastic about her.

Suffice it to say, I'm more on board with Jeff Harris than I ever was.

Does anyone remember Geri Rothman-Serot, the St. Louisan who emerged from a 14-sided Democratic primary in 1992 only to lose a Senate race to Kit Bond? Margaret Donnelly is her political reincarnation.

One thing is perfectly clear - Margaret Donnelly is a St. Louisan. When asked how she plans to win the primary, she pointed out that it is a three way race right now, and that St. Louis provides 40% of the primary vote. She managed not to taunt us insignificant backwater hicks with "do the math, rednecks!", but she did say that "her geography" was one of the reasons she is confident she will win the primary. She also relied on quotations from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and held herself out as the "only player in the St. Louis region" on Medicaid issues.

Like Rothman-Serot, Donnelly has a severe case of 270 myopia. It's a disease that afflicts many St. Louisans, who wind up thinking that St. Charles is the West, Affton is the South, and Normandy is the dangerous North. These people can thrive in their narrow world, but they fail miserably when the rest of the state gets to vote on them.

When asked how she intends to appeal to outstate voters, Donnelly had no real answer. She claimed that her legislative record regarding Medicaid would somehow help her win voters, but was unable to articulate why she thought that would be a major issue for the Attorney General's race, against a candidate who will undoubtedly be smart enough to voice support for health care.

Worse, though, was her attempt to claim that she has adequate experience. She was a family lawyer who handled some juvenile cases. The Attorney General, of course, does not handle divorces. She also showed confusion about the Missouri Plan, pointing to a couple recent rulings by a judge not subject to the Missouri Plan as evidence that the attacks on it are already having a chilling effect. (If you're scratching your head and muttering, "huh?", join the crowd.) (Update: An anonymous commenter correctly points out that her discussion of Judge Callahan makes more sense in the context of the broader attack on the independent judiciary. To be fair, that is probably what she meant, though my question was about the Missouri Plan.)

Margaret Donnelly seems like a fantastically dedicated and fine Democrat. She is not, however, a particularly good candidate for Attorney General. She has no relevant experience, and she does not project the toughness and solidity Missourians want to see in their chief law enforcement officer. She seems to think that Clayton is mid-Missouri.

I've now met all the candidates for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. They are all good people, but only one has the experience, the outstate appeal, and the Democratic credentials to become our next Attorney General. Jeff Harris is that candidate.