Politically Speaking

Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum about the recent special session. Aune, whose district includes a part of Kansas City, speaks on why it was important for Missouri to have an offer to keep both the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from leaving the state. Aune also talks about Missouri House Democrats' chances in the 2026 election.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck talks about the recent special session and expectations for when lawmakers return in 2026.
 
 Beck represents Missouri’s 1st Senate District, which takes in portions of unincorporated south St. Louis County and municipalities like Crestwood and Webster Groves. As Senate Minority Leader, he is the top Democrat in a chamber that Republicans dominate.
 
 Beck said his caucus chose to work with Republicans during a June special session, especially since Democrats wanted to get more money to help rebuild parts of the city a tornado destroyed on May 16. But he said his caucus is still upset with how the regular session ended when Republicans used a procedural maneuver to pass measures aimed at upending voter-approved paid sick leave and abortion rights initiatives.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is undergoing a major transition after lawmakers and Gov. Mike Kehoe reinstated a gubernatorial board that oversees the agency.
 
 But the changes for the police department go beyond the reimposition of the state board.
 
 Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office will now be in charge of defending the St. Louis Police Department in certain civil litigation cases. That’s because Bailey’s office is in charge of defending state agencies against claims to the state’s legal defense fund.
 
 “The legal expense fund is really the insurance policy for the state,” Bailey said in an interview on Wednesday. “So any claims enumerated in that statute that are in connection with the public officials duties are covered by [the fund] … the state's law firm, the Missouri Attorney General's Office, defends against them.”

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep. Marty Joe Murray talks with STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum about his first year in the Missouri General Assembly – and his thoughts on the recently completed special session.
 
 Murray represents Missouri’s 78th House District, which takes in parts of Downtown St. Louis, Old North St. Louis, Lafayette Square, and neighborhoods that encompass the Cherokee Street business district. He was first elected to his seat in 2024.

It didn’t take long for Dara Eskridge and Aaron Williams to spring into action after a deadly tornado ripped through parts of north St. Louis.
 
 Eskridge and Williams helped lead the 4TheVille Hub, which provided critical supplies and housing stabilization to people throughout north St. Louis. Both Eskridge and Williams have deep ties to the community: Eskridge is the CEO of InvestSTL, which helps financially support neighborhood development initiatives. And Williams is President of 4TheVille, a nonprofit group that aims to preserve and expand the cultural history of several north St. Louis neighborhoods. 
 
 The Hub shut down earlier this month, prompting both Eskridge and Williams to reflect during a St. Louis on the Air episode on the volunteer effort’s impact – and how they plan to keep the assistance coming to tornado victims. This is the longer version of that conversation.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks to U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt about protests over Donald Trump's immigration enforcement methods – and so called Big Beautiful Bill. Rosenbaum also talks with Democratic Sen. Steven Roberts and House Speaker Jon Patterson about the just concluded special session. And he also discussed with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg whether the bipartisan spirit of the extra time in Jefferson City can last.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum explores the excruciating waiting game for St. Louisans waiting for FEMA assistance to recover from this month's tornado. Rosenbaum also talked with Congressman Wesley Bell about how President Donald Trump hasn't signed off on disaster relief yet. And with a special session looming, Rosenbaum welcomes state Sen. Brian Williams on the program to talk about why the General Assembly's extra time may be bumpy next week.

Sen. Tracy McCreery joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to discuss the end of the 2025 Missouri Legislative Session and her thoughts on the upcoming special session.

7th Ward Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier talks about negotiations over the Rams settlement dollars, her plans for her second term, and being the target of a PAC during her re-election campaign.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's talks with STLPR's Chad Davis about the deadly tornado that ripped through St. Louis and St. Louis County on Friday. It's placing more of a focus on how local, state and federal elected officials are planning to respond to what could be a long rebuilding process. Rosenbaum also talks with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg, as well Reps. Ian Mackey and Jim Murphy, about the 2025 Missouri General Assembly session.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum explores how President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office affected Missouri, Illinois and the St. Louis region. Rosenbaum talks with ProPublica's Jeremy Kohler about former Missourian Ed Martin's controversial nomination as U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. And he also talks with Trump fans and foes, and STLPR reporters, about his first few months in office.

On a special edition of Politically Speaking, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers President and CEO Margot Riphagen about Missouri's place in the movement for abortion rights. Rosenbaum interviewed McGill Johnson and Riphagen after the two spoke at a Planned Parenthood Great Rivers fundraiser in Clayton.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep. George Hruza, R-St. Louis County, returns to the show to talk about his first impressions of the Missouri House. Hruza also talked about his capital gains tax cut bill, his legislation aimed at curbing anti-Semitic behavior at schools, and why he voted for a ballot item that could repeal constitutional protections for abortion rights.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with St. Louis Alderman Rasheen Aldridge about his expectations for Mayor Cara Spencer. Rosenbaum also talked with Missouri Children's Division director Sara Smith about her vision for the challenging agency, and the release of documents showing that child abuse investigators visited a Fredericktown mother multiple times before her child died last year.

Joe Vollmer helped lead the board through the criminal conviction of three of its members, and oversaw the drawing of the map that cut its numbers from 28 to 14.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep. Betsy Fogle talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum about the Democratic view of the 2025 budgetary process.
 
 The Springfield Democrat was first elected to the Missouri House in 2020, and is the ranking Democratic member of the House Budget Committee. That gives her more insight, and arguably more power, into affecting the trajectory of the state budget process.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg discuss this year's less robust state budgetary process. Rosenbaum also talks about how he's cut down on social media usage recently — and examines whether Donald Trump's return to the White House prompted people to tune in or tune out more. Texas State University professor Amber Hinsley also joins the show to talk some recent trends around social media and current events.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, the two finalists to be St. Louis mayor face off in a heated joint appearance. STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann posed questions to St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer on the future of the city — and some of its shorter term concerns.

Sen. Steven Roberts joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about the 2025 Missouri Legislative Session, including a bill on its way to Gov. Mike Kehoe that places the St. Louis Police Department under a state-appointed board.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum explores the pros and cons of Missouri's legislative term limits. He talked with state Rep. Peggy McGaugh, who wants to allow someone to spend up to 16 years in the Missouri House or the Missouri Senate. And he also discussed term limits throughout the country with University of California-San Diego political science professor Thad Kousser. Rosenbaum also checked in with GOP Rep. Eric Burlison about the lay of the land in Washington, D.C.

State Rep. Mark Boyko joins STLPR's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about his journey to the Missouri House, his views on education policy, and the prospects for Democratic influence during the 2025 session.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum sits down with Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin. The former head of the Minnesota Democratic Party made Missouri one of the stops on his first national tour since becoming DNC chairman. Rosenbaum also talked with Planned Parenthood Great Rivers' Nick Dunne about what's next for the abortion clinic after a judge struck down licensing requirements. And he also checks in with STLPR's Will Bauer about Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's State of the State and Budgetary address.

Independent contractor and certified public accountant Celeste Metcalf is one of three candidates running for comptroller. She faces incumbent Darlene Green and former alderwoman and state Representative Donna Baringer in the March 4 primary.

Former St. Louis alderwoman and state Representative Donna Baringer is one of three candidates running for comptroller. She faces incumbent Darlene Green and accounting firm owner Celeste Metcalf in the March 4 primary.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep. Bill Hardwick talks about his effort to legalize video gambling machines and other issues in the 2025 legislative session.
 
 Hardwick is trying to pass legislation that would legalize video gambling machines which are usually found in truck stops and fraternal organization halls. His bill, which already passed through committee, could provide a funding boost for education.

Incumbent Darlene Green is one of three candidates running for the office of St. Louis Comptroller. She faces former alderwoman and state Representative Donna Baringer and accounting firm owner Celeste Metcalf in the March 4 primary.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Eric Schmid discussed the deadlock over how to split up a settlement emanating from the departure of the St. Louis Rams. Rosenbaum also talks with new Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder about his plans for keeping the state party strong. And Rosenbaum discusses the state of the media with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler is one of four candidates for mayor in the March 4 primary. He faces incumbent Tishaura Jones, Alderwoman Cara Spencer of the 8th Ward and retired utility executive Andrew Jones.

Cara Spencer, the 8th Ward alderwoman, is one of four candidates for mayor in the March 4 primary. She faces incumbent Tishaura Jones, Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler and retired utility executive Andrew Jones.

Andrew Jones is one of four candidates for mayor in the March 4 primary. He faces incumbent Tishaura Jones, 8th Ward Alderwoman Cara Spencer, and Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum sits down with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page about the county's budgetary challenges and his fractured relationship with the County Council. Rosenbaum also talks with GOP Sen. Nick Schroer about his bid to place a gubernatorial board in charge of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Mayor Tishaura Jones discusses her re-election bid ahead of the March 4 primary.

Rep. Wick Thomas joins the show for the first time. The Kansas City democrat joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about their expectations for this year's session.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Rachel Lippmann and Jason Rosenbaum talk with St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith about she wants to reshape the office. Rosenbaum also takes a deeper look into the first few days of the 2025 legislative session. And he also talks with outgoing General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan about what she learned running the expansive federal government agency.

Senator-Elect Kurtis Gregory makes his debut on Politically Speaking. The Blackburn Republican, who has served two terms in the Missouri House, speaks to St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum about his decision to enter Missouri politics, his Senate race and his thoughts on the upcoming 2025 Missouri Legislative Session.

The high-stakes primary season and a general election full of impactful ballot initiatives will shape Missouri politics and policy for years to come.
 
 And while the election wasn’t as monumental in Illinois, there were several contests that could reverberate throughout the Metro East.
 
 On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum welcomes the St. Louis Public Radio’s politics team to discuss the top stories of 2024.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, state Rep. Kevin Windham talks about his decision to leave the Missouri House to take a job at Washington University as their assistant director for community engagement. 
 
 He said salary considerations played a role, adding that he’s made roughly the same amount of money since he graduated from college.
 
 The St. Louis County Democrat represents Missouri’s 74th District, which takes in municipalities such as Pagedale, Uplands Park, Normandy, Vinita Park, Hillsdale and Velda Village Hills. He will be leaving office in January.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum welcomes two high-profile members of Congress from Missouri: Reps. Cori Bush and Jason Smith. Bush spoke with Rosenbaum about her time in Congress, and why she's not going to fade away from public view after she leaves office. And Smith discusses the tricky road for Republicans to expand and extend 2017 tax cuts.

Kelli Dunaway, the outgoing 2nd District St. Louis County Councilwoman, talks to Rachel Lippmann about her five years on the legislative body.

Missouri Democrats had yet another disappointing election cycle in 2024. And on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan talks about how the party is trying to rebuild over the next few years. We also talk with officials from PROMO about how the Missouri Department of Revenue made it more difficult to change a gender marker on a driver's license.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep.-elect Colin Wellenkamp speaks with St. Louis Public Radio about his expectations for the 2025 session including pushing for a boost in teacher pay.
 
 Wellenkamp is a Republican who was elected to represent Missouri’s 105th House District, which takes in most of the city of St. Charles. He will take office in early January.

Missouri House Representative-elect Elizabeth Fuchs joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about why she decided to run for the House, her desire for loud and unapologetic queer leadership in Missouri and her thoughts on issues lawmakers may address next session.

Missouri state Rep.-elect Nick Kimble didn’t have to go through an arduous primary or general election to get to Jefferson City.
 
 The St. Louis Democrat ran unopposed in the primary to succeed state Rep. Donna Baringer in Missouri’s 82nd House District, which takes in a southwest portion of the city. That basically sealed Kimble’s election since the district is heavily Democratic.
 
 But as Kimble noted on a recent episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, the 82nd District features perhaps the largest concentration of Republicans in the city of St. Louis. And that gives him a different perspective on how to represent the area in Jefferson City.
 
 “Growing up in the district, I knew a lot of those Republicans,” Kimble said. “I went to school with them. I was friends with their kids, I mowed their lawn, I delivered pizzas. So I think that helps. I consider myself a center left and moderate person. I don't go around to the fish fries or various things on the Hill in South City talking about partisan issues or partisan politics.”

We get this question a lot: Why do Missourians vote for progressive ballot items and Republican candidates? On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we talk with political consultant and split ticket voters themselves to try and get a straight answer. STLPR's Rachel Lippmann joins the show to talk about squabbles over the St. Louis Rams settlement and we also dive into a proposal for publicly financing St. Louis County elections.

It would be an immense understatement to say that St. Louis Public Schools encountered profound challenges in the past few months.
 
 Not only has the district faced struggles providing transportation for students, but the Board of Education recently fired its superintendent. And members of that seven-person board are also eying potential school closures and difficulties recruiting and retaining special education personnel.
 
 On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Board of Education members Toni Cousins and Matt Davis provide an in-depth look at St. Louis Public Schools’ challenges — and why political leaders need to be engaged to help mitigate them.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with UMSL's Anita Manion about the 2024 election results in Missouri. GOP candidates won up and down the ballot. But abortion rights backers won a seismic victory with the passage of Amendment 3. Also joining the program is STLPR's Sarah Kellogg, Rachel Lippmann and Will Bauer.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg preview Tuesday's election. And STLPR's Abby Llorico talks with a media literacy expert about how the rise in misinformation affects how people consume political news. This episode also feature completely real (and not A.I.-generated) cameos from actor Jon Hamm and fashion icon Karlie Kloss — who both talked with Rosenbaum this week about the Nov. 5 election.

Democrat Bethany Mann has a tough task running for Missouri’s 3rd District, which was drawn in 2022 to be favorable to Republicans.
 
 But during an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, Mann said she’s been able to make inroads with voters who typically don’t vote for Democrats by listening to their concerns.
 
 “And that's why I think that running in what would normally be an uncontested seat is so important,” Mann said. “Because it allows you to have those conversations with folks, to show that you're just not a talking figure in a suit. You're actually going to talk to them about the issues that matter the most to their family.”

Sixteen years ago, Bob Onder lost a bitterly contested congressional primary to Blaine Luetkemeyer. 
 
 Since that time, Onder’s political trajectory took plenty of twists and turns — including becoming a key member of Senate Republicans who openly fought with GOP leadership. But after beating his former Senate colleague Kurt Schaefer in an August primary, Onder could very well be on his way to Washington, D.C. next year as Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District representative.
 
 “At the end of the day, I think our conservative message, our America First message, did break through, and the voters decided by a healthy margin to choose me as the Republican nominee,” Onder said on an episode of the Politically Speaking Podcast. “47% of the vote in a seven way race is not bad.”
 
 Onder is taking on Democrat Bethany Mann to represent the 3rd District, which takes parts of the St. Louis area and portions of central Missouri. Mann recorded an episode of Politically Speaking that will air later this week.

For several decades, Ray Hartmann was a regular on the Nine Network’s Donnybrook where he often clashed with other St. Louis journalists about a litany of local issues. 
 
 He also started the Riverfront Times, which regularly took a contrarian view about politics and culture in the St. Louis region.
 
 But earlier this year, Hartmann announced he was leaving the journalism world to take on U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin. And on an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, Hartmann made the case that he would be a more present and effective legislator for the 2nd Congressional District, which includes a large swath of the St. Louis region.
 
 “Our politics are broken and Congress is broken,” Hartmann said. “And I've been in the public eye for a long time, and I just felt this was the time to step up.”