Politically Speaking

For Republicans like Missouri Congresswoman Ann Wagner, intraparty rancor was a recurring theme throughout the past two years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
 
 Because of a fairly small majority, and Democratic control of the Senate and the White House, House Republicans weren’t able to accomplish many of their priorities. And the schisms within the House GOP became so bad that a renegade group of lawmakers teamed up with House Democrats to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
 
 But throughout the tumult, Wagner said on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast she’s been able to get things done both on the House floor and on the House Financial Services Committee. She’s also pointed to her advocacy for Boeing, one of the St. Louis region’s biggest employers.
 
 “There are ways to get things done in divided government,” Wagner said. “I do reach across the aisle. I believe that I am part of the governing portion of this House.”

On this week’s Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we welcome opponents of two high-profile Missouri ballot items to legalize sports betting and abortion. We’ll also examine new polling from the Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College taking the pulse of how Missourians feel about both of those issues.

For many close observers of Missouri politics, David Wasinger’s win in a crowded primary to succeed Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe was something of a surprise.
 
 The St. Louis County attorney narrowly edged state Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who had nabbed a slew of key endorsements and raised a substantial amount of money. During an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, Wasinger attributed his win to something unusual: His 2018 loss in a Republican primary for state auditor.
 
 Even though he fell short to eventual primary winner Saundra McDowell, Wasinger said that campaign gave him a good perspective on what he needed to do to win in a crowded statewide race. And it also ensured he had a solid base of supporters from all over Missouri.
 
 “I would not have been able to run for lieutenant governor on this shorter ramp up period of time unless I had run for state auditor,” Wasinger said. “So I honestly, whether it's fate, or I think the good Lord looks over you, and this is what he saw as my calling. So it works out in mysterious ways, and this was the path that I've been given.”

Illinois U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, said she’s not taking anything for granted in her first reelection bid this November. “We're working really hard throughout the district to tell the story of the work that we've been doing in this first term and making the case for the work that I want to continue to be doing,” Budzinski said on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast.
 
 While Illinois’ 13th Congressional District could be a swing district, stretching from a majority of the Metro East to Springfield and Urbana-Champaign, electoral experts have it rated as a safe or solid Democratic seat this election cycle.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Missouri Chamber of Commerce's interim President Kara Corches explains why her organization is opposing Proposition A. That measure would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 and institute mandatory sick time for employers.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, former Missouri Ethics Commission executive director Liz Ziegler joins the show to answer a slew of listener questions about the state's byzantine campaign finance laws. Also on the program: Democrat Lucas Kunce makes the case about why he has a chance against GOP Sen. Josh Hawley. And the state's trade union members talk about how they're approaching the 2024 election.

On paper, Illinois’ 13th Congressional District could be winnable for a Republican, but it will be an uphill battle for Joshua Loyd, who’s hoping to unseat incumbent Nikki Budzinski in November.
 The biggest factor working against Loyd, R-Virden, is cash. At the end of the second quarter, Budzinski, D-Springfield, held a 123 to 1 fundraising advantage over her GOP challenger in the race to represent the district which stretches from the Metro East to Urbana-Champaign.
 
 “I'm not concerned at all with the finances because I'm actually out there talking with individuals,” Loyd said on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast. “This is not necessarily a money game. People always say it's about the money. No, it's about being analytical, understanding where to put your effort.”

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, author Heather McGhee talks about her support for a ballot item raising Missouri’s minimum wage.
 
 McGhee is a New York-based attorney who wrote the New York Times best-selling book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Part of her work involved following the movement in Missouri to raise the minimum wage, particularly in the Kansas City area.
 
 “I wanted to come back and see what was going on, and I'm really thrilled to see the amount of broad-based support for something that should be common sense, which is that people should not work all day and come home in poverty,” McGhee said. And they should be able to earn sick time to take care of themselves and their loved ones.”

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with St. Louis County election directors Eric Fey and Rick Stream about GOP secretary of state nominee Denny Hoskins' push to hand count ballots. Rosenbaum also talked with voters in Illinois and Missouri who are getting involved in this year's presidential election — even though the results in each state are not in doubt. Rosenbaum also caught up with Wake Up to Politics' Gabe Fleischer, who has been writing about politics since he was a 9-year-old St. Louis County resident.

Rep. Richard Brown, Assistant Missouri House Minority Floor Leader, returns to the show. The Kansas City democrat joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about his candidacy for Lt. Governor.

Democrat Randi McCallian is once again running for Missouri’s 8th Congressional District seat, a swath of southeast and southern Missouri that’s been represented by Republicans since the 1980s.
 
 Even McCallian admits her run against GOP Congressman Jason Smith is an uphill battle.The 8th District used to have significant pockets of Democratic voters, particularly in the Bootheel region. But Donald Trump’s emergence supercharged the district’s drift to the GOP — a trend that McCallian said hasn’t been good for people who live in the district.
 
 “Politics is now what I do, because people deserve to have a government that is made up by them and working for them,” McCallian said on an episode of Politically Speaking. “And that's not what we have here in Missouri — or especially in the 8th Congressional District.”

On this week's episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with veteran political journalist Jo Mannies about the history of presidential debates at Washington University. Rosenbaum also talked about the upcoming presidential election with four students at MICDS. And Rosenbaum welcomes historian Cassandra Good onto the program to talk about the history of nepotism in American politics.

State Rep. Barbara Phifer declined to run for another term in the Missouri House, even though she was eligible to spend four more years in the General Assembly’s lower chamber.
 
 But the Kirkwood Democrat chose instead to run for secretary of state. While the race for that office typically doesn’t get as much attention as the U.S. Senate or governor, Phifer said the stakes are high enough for her to throw her hat into the statewide electoral arena.
 
 “This is the single most important statewide race in Missouri this year, and I could see that a year and a half ago,” Phifer said on an episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking. “And so I told my husband, even as I was planning to retire: ‘Honey, you just need to know that if we don't have somebody on the Democratic side with experience who's running for secretary of state, I'm going to do that.”

Mark Osmack has been out of the electoral fray for awhile, but he never completely abandoned his passion for Missouri politics.
 
 Osmack, a Valley Park native and U.S. Army veteran, previously ran for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District seat and for state Senate. During an episode of Politically Speaking, Osmack received a phone call from Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan asking him to run for state treasurer.
 
 “There's a lot of decision making and processing and evaluation that goes into it, which is something I am very passionate and interested in,” Osmack said. 
 
 Osmack is squaring off against state Treasurer Vivek Malek, who was able to easily win a crowded GOP primary against several veteran lawmakers — including House Chairman Cody Smith and Sen. Andrew Koenig.

Elad Gross, the Democratic candidate for Missouri Attorney General, is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. Gross, who ran for Attorney General back in 2020, spoke to St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about why he decided to run again and how he believes the office can serve Missourians.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks to Missouri AFL-CIO President Jake Hummel about labor unions are approaching the general election cycle. Rosenbaum also talks with SLU political science professor Christopher Duncan about third party candidate in Missouri and American politics. And Rosenbaum expresses his immense frustration about political text messages.

Missouri's U.S. Senate race between Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and Democrat Lucas Kunce will likely be the most high-profile contest on the state's Nov. 5 ballot. But there is another candidate seeking the office: Better Party contender Jared Young. The Webb City resident talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum about why he believes a candidate who isn't a Republican or Democrat can make an impact in the 2024 election cycle.

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with UMSL's Anita Manion and STLPR's Sarah Kellogg about Tuesday's primary results. Rosenbaum also spoke with Wesley Bell, Mike Kehoe, Crystal Quade and Bob Onder about their big wins — and what they could mean for Missouri politics.

On August 6, Missourians will go to the polls to decide some of the most important primary elections in recent memory. On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Sarah Kellogg and Jo Mannies about the big things to look for when the results come in on Tuesday. Rosenbaum also talks with Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Mike Hamra about his primary campaign.

The latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air features Democrat Lucas Kunce explaining why he should take on GOP Sen. Josh Hawley in the fall. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum also talks with former state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal about her bid for Missouri's 1st Congressional District.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Sen. Jason Bean joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to discuss Gov. Mike Parson’s budget vetoes — and the future of the Missouri Senate.
 
 Bean represents Missouri’s 25th Senatorial District, which includes Stoddard, Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Oregon, Mississippi, Butler, Wayne and Carter Counties. The Holcomb Republican was elected to his post in 2020.

Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush is no stranger to confronting powerful political and civic institutions. After all, Bush challenged, and eventually defeated, Congressman Lacy Clay in 2020 — and before that became well known in St. Louis for her time in the protest movement that arose after Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson.
 
 Now, Bush is facing another challenge on Aug. 6. She’s trying to outflank St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell and former state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal in a nationally-watched contest. Bush spoke with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air. Rosenbaum also talked with state Sen. Karla May on her bid to take on GOP U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley in the fall.

Before he became attorney general, Andrew Bailey served in a number of roles — including a soldier, a security guard, a prosecutor and general counsel to Gov. Mike Parson.
 
 And as the GOP statewide official faces a tough primary battle with St. Louis County attorney Will Scharf for the right to keep his job, Bailey is hoping that Republican voters see his collective experience inside and outside of politics as a compelling drawing point.
 
 “I care about the state because it's home,” Bailey said on an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast. “I got to grow up in a Missouri that enjoyed freedom, safety, prosperity. And I want my kids and your listeners' kids and grandkids to enjoy those things as well.”

Republican Secretary of State candidate Jamie Corley joins the show. Corley speaks with St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum about her candidacy, why she filed an initiative petition that would have reversed Missouri's abortion ban and why she thinks her position isn't out of line with Missouri Republicans.

Over the past few months, Missouri attorney general hopeful Will Scharf became a familiar face on national news for his legal advocacy for former President Donald Trump.
 
 Now, over the next few weeks, the St. Louis County attorney is hoping to make the case to GOP primary voters that he should replace Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
 
 “I never really thought this was something that I would do,” Scharf said on an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast. “Friends of mine approached me about running and said that they thought it was really time to shake up Jefferson City and get more conservative outsiders, as opposed to establishment politicians and establishment people in the office.”

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with STL County Prosecutor Wesley Bell about his bid to represent Missouri's 1st Congressional District. Bell is running against incumbent Congresswoman Cori Bush and former state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal. At the beginning of the show, Rosenbaum talks with GOP gubernatorial contender Jay Ashcroft about he plans to stand up above the pack in a competitive Aug. 6 primary.

Malek is definitely getting a crash course in Missouri politics this summer.
 
 After Gov. Mike Parson appointed him to the treasurer’s office after Scott Fitzpatrick became state auditor, Malek is running for a full four-year term against five other GOP candidates in the Aug. 6 primary: House Budget Chairman Cody Smith, state Sen. Andrew Koenig, Springfield resident Lori Rook, St. Joseph resident Tina Goodrick and Berkeley resident Karan Pujji.
 
 Malek has raised by far the most money for the statewide contest that typically flies below the radar. He’s making the case that he’s done a capable enough job thus far in office, including returning record amounts of unclaimed property and expanding a program called MoBUCK$ that provides low-interest loans to certain businesses.
 
 “When I became treasurer, my whole purpose was to do the job — not to get the job,” Malek said. “I have done great in my professional career and the business that I had. And now it was time for me to take some time off from my regular occupation, come to this field, and do my service as a public servant with a servant’s heart.”

House Speaker Dean Plocher joins STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his bid to become Missouri's next secretary of state — and also the ethics controversies that have followed him over the last few months.

Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller is no stranger to crowded primaries — including to be the GOP nominee for secretary of state.
 
 The GOP countywide official defeated two well-funded and well-organized Republican opponents in 2012 to become the party’s candidate to succeed then-Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. But thanks, perhaps in part, to Republican Todd Akin’s implosion in his race against U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, Schoeller narrowly lost to Democrat Jason Kander.
 
 Two years later, Schoeller became Greene County clerk — which means he’s the top elections official for the fast growing southwest Missouri county. And he contends that experience helps him stand out in a secretary of state field that includes seven other GOP contenders.
 
 “I think what distinguishes me from everyone else is I've actually been administering elections for the past 10 years,” Schoeller said on an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast. “It’s no different than when you think about voting for sheriff, you want someone who has law enforcement experience before they become the sheriff of your county. I strongly believe we need someone who has election experience to become the next Secretary of State.”

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum interviews TWO Missouri gubernatorial hopefuls — GOP Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Democratic House Minority Leader Crystal Quade. The two are trying to maneuver through primaries that are slated to take place on Aug. 6. Rosenbaum also talked with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg about the high-stake governor's contest.

Mike Carter, a municipal judge from Wentzville, said he filed to be Missouri’s next Secretary of State because of its electability.
 “I identified the Secretary of State's office is having the least amount of competition, the least amount of dollars dedicated to it, and the largest opening for me to repeat what I did in the past and just ascend right to the position,” Carter said.
 However, the day Carter filed, two other Republicans joined the race the same day, bringing the number of Republican candidates running for Secretary of State up to eight.
 Along with Carter, other Republican candidates for the race include House Speaker Dean Plocher, state Senators Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Denny Hoskins, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, state Rep. Adam Schwadron, St. Louis County resident Jamie Corley and St. Louis resident Valentine Gomez. House Rep. Barbara Phifer is the most well-known Democrat candidate who filed.

State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman was the first candidate to jump into the GOP fray for the now-open 3rd Congressional District seat. And she ended up being one of the last contenders to file to be the next secretary of state.
 
 During an episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking, Coleman detailed why she chose to switch up races — contending that the statewide post that oversees business registration, securities regulation, and elections is a better fit for what she wants to accomplish in state government.
 
 “I have always had a hard race, I have always been a proven fighter,” Coleman said. “And I have never run in a race that wasn't a multi-candidate primary, a scrum. Now, this is certainly the place that I've had the most opponents in. But when you're in a race, really what your focus is talking to the voters, getting to know them, talking about the issues that matter most to you so that they get to know you. And I don't think that the number of competitors or candidates really changes how you run that race.”

State Sen. Bill Eigel spent his roughly two terms in the Missouri Senate going against the grain of GOP leaders. But the Weldon Spring Republican doesn’t believe his clashes with fellow GOP elected officials will be a detriment to his gubernatorial bid. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Eigel said his anti-establishment posture puts him in a good position in a competitive GOP primary that includes Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. In addition to Eigel's interview, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg discuss the Missouri governor's race. And Rosenbaum sits down with St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore about his first year in office.

Former Missouri U.S. Sen. John Danforth witnessed lots changes to politics over his lifetime.
 
 Danforth, added his age 87, who served in the Senate from 1976 to 1995 and as Missouri’s attorney general from 1969 to 1976, was at the cutting edge of turning Missouri from a state that voted for Democrats for statewide posts to a bellwether that was somewhat evenly divided between the parties. But Danforth is now decrying a force that helped Missouri Republicans take unprecedented power throughout state: Former President Donald Trump.
 
 “It's possible to be a Trump Republican. It's possible to be a Reagan Republican. But the two are not compatible. They're inconsistent,” Danforth said in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio. “It's really impossible to be both at the same time.”

Missouri's 2024 session is over. And in some respects, the divides between Missouri Republicans, especially in the Senate, were more noteworthy than the things that were actually passed. STLPR's Sarah Kellogg joins The Politically Speaking Hour to talk about what passed — and why the supermajority era may be coming to an end. Later in the show, STLPR's Rachel Lippmann discussed St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones' State of the City address.

Missouri child abuse investigators missed warning signs of fentanyl use among parents before their young children died of accidental overdoses from the drug, according to a new state report. It found that Children's Division investigators, who are tasked with following up on claims of abuse and neglect, “lacked essential procedures, missed warning signs and left vulnerable children at risk.” St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum spoke with Department of Social Services director Robert Knodell on how Children's Division could change course after the report.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with child welfare advocate Jessica Seitz about a startling new reporting detailing how Children's Division investigators missed warning signs of fentanyl use among parents before those parents' children died. Rosenbaum also talks to Congressman Mark Alford about his recent trip to Taiwan and Richard Von Glahn about a ballot item aimed at raising the state's minimum wage.

NPR National Political correspondent Sarah McCammon recently released The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. It is part memoir and part exploration into the role Evangelicals play in politics. In a conversation with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, McCammon first talked about how her book connected with a wide audience — including people who didn’t grow up Evangelical like her.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks to Missouri Independent's Jason Hancock about the ethics investigation into House Speaker Dean Plocher. Rosenbaum also spoke with Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo about Senate Democrats' expectations about the final weeks of session. And he also discussed a ballot item legalizing sports betting with Jack Cardetti of Winning for Missouri Education.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Missouri state Sen. Brian Williams discusses the state budget process and the 2024 election cycle.
 
 Williams represents Missouri’s 14th District, which takes in several dozen municipalities in St. Louis County. Williams was first elected to his post in 2018 and reelected with no opposition in 2022.

Yes, political can be interesting and exciting. But in the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Saint Louis University's Ken Warren about what's driving increased voter apathy. Rosenbaum also speaks with state Rep. Tony Lovasco of St. Charles County about his call for Gov. Mike Parson to commute Brian Dorsey's death sentence. And in an exclusive interview, fashion icon and philanthropist Karlie Kloss talks with Rosenbaum about her passion for abortion rights.

State Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg returns to Politically Speaking to talk about his campaign for secretary of state — and the prospects of being able to legalize sports betting in Missouri. Hoskins is one of eight GOP contenders seeking to succeed Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

Webster Groves native Karlie Kloss took the modeling world by storm in the 2010s before launching a highly successful effort to connect young women with computer coding and, more recently, helping relaunch Life Magazine.
 
 But on Monday, Kloss discussed another passion in an exclusive interview with St. Louis Public Radio: Her advocacy for abortion rights in Missouri and around the Midwest.
 
 “I'm one of four daughters. I grew up here in the Midwest. My father is a physician. The idea of reproductive care was never political in my house,” Kloss said. “It's devastating to me the reality of what is happening and how it has become so politicized. Because to me, this is a conversation that belongs between an individual and their physician and an individual and their loved ones. To me, politicians should not be involved.”

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about his decision to depart from the secretary of state’s contest.
 
 The Columbia Republican had announced his statewide bid last year. He had the most campaign money out of any of the GOP competitors for the post and had experience winning tough elections.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum discusses the Illinois primary results with STLPR's Will Bauer and Brian Munoz. Rosenbaum also chats with SLU's Steven Rogers and STLPR's Jo Mannies about the SLU/YouGov poll and what it could mean for the 2024 election cycle

Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg on the latest episode of Politically Speaking. The Platte County Republican is the sponsor of an omnibus bill dealing with public safety. Luetkemeyer breaks down his bill, as well as discusses other topics like sports betting, his bill last session creating a property tax freeze for seniors and how he's felt the 2024 Legislative Session has gone so far.

State Rep. Scott Cupps joins STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his pathway from the agricultural business to the Missouri House. The Shell Knob Republican also talked about his explosive committee hearing with state Treasurer Vivek Malek, which featured bipartisan criticism of his decision to place unclaimed property decals on Torch's controversial gaming machines.

On the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Senate Majority Leader Cindy O'Laughlin of Shelbina about the state of the Missouri Senate. Rosenbaum also discussed what to expect in the second half of the Missouri General Assembly's session with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg. And in the final segment of the show, St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier talks about her bill to make it easier to open homeless shelters in the city.

After a long hiatus from electoral politics, former Missouri Sen. Kurt Schaefer is re-entering the fray with his entry into Missouri's 3rd Congressional District contest. The Columbia Republican talked with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum earlier this week about why he decided to run — and provided his stances on a slew of foreign policy and domestic issues.

The latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air features an extensive interview with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. Jones talked with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about crime prevention, regional homelessness policies, and how city policymakers shouldn't spend the St. Louis Rams settlement. Later in the program, Rosenbaum and STLPR's Will Bauer talk with IL Sen. Jil Tracy about Governor JB Pritzker's State of the State and budgetary address.