Politically Speaking

Democrat John Kiehne is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about his bid for the 26th Senatorial District.
 
 Kiehne is seeking to represent a district that includes a small part of St. Louis County and all of Franklin, Osage, Gasconade and Warren Counties. He ran in 2018, losing decisively to Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz. Republican Ben Brown won the GOP contest to succeed Schatz, who cannot run for another Senate term because of term limits.

Ben Brown is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where the Washington native talked about his win in the Republican primary for the 26th Senate District.
 
 Brown beat four other GOP candidates in the race to represent a seat that includes part of St. Louis County and all of Franklin, Osage, Warren and Gasconade counties. He will face Democrat John Kiehne in November.

State Rep. Travis Fitzwater is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. He joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his recent victory of securing the Republican nomination for Missouri's 10th Senate District. Fitzwater faced a tough primary with four Republican opponents. In addition to his own election, Fitzwater shares some of his thoughts on the upcoming November election as well as what he plans to focus on as a Senator.

For John Wood, Tuesday’s results in Missouri’s closely-watched U.S. Senate race doesn’t change much about his candidacy for the post as an independent.
 
 Wood recently turned in signatures to appear on the ballot in the race to succeed Roy Blunt. The former U.S. attorney and counsel for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection believes he can provide a different option for voters who generally hold conservative political views but don’t like how many Republicans embraced the idea that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum, Sarah Kellogg and Rachel Lippmann break down the results of Tuesday's primary. And the trio takes stock in a span of time that included a lot of wild moments, everything from a former governor's attempted comeback to a controversy around the Ying Yang Twins' suspicious endorsement of Mark McCloskey

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, U.S. Rep Cori Bush, D-St. Louis County, talks about her re-election campaign in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
 
 Bush was elected to represent the district in 2020. It includes all of St. Louis and some of St. Louis County, and is the only congressional district in Missouri with a plurality of Black residents.

St. Louis County Councilwoman Rita Days talks about her bid for a full four-year term with St. Louis Public Radio's Rachel Lippmann and Jason Rosenbaum. Days is being challenged in the 1st County Council District Democratic PRIMARY

Terry Wilson, who is running for the 1st District St. Louis County Council seat, is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Jennings City Councilman talked about his primary challenge against Council Chairwoman Rita Days.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann about his re-election campaign — and how he would approach the powerful post if he's elected a full four-year term.

State Sen. Jill Schupp talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum her time in state legislative politics. The Creve Coeur Democrat came on the legislative scene in 2008 by winning a seat in the Missouri House. She eventually was elected to two terms in the Missouri Senate, and is departing in early 2023 because of term limits.

St. Louis County Executive hopeful Jane Dueker, the latest guest on the Politically Speaking. Podcast, talked about why she’s challenging incumbent St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Aug. 2.
 
 Dueker is an attorney who previously served as chief of staff during part of Gov. Bob Holden’s administration. Until recently, Dueker was a lobbyist — most notably representing state and local police unions. She ended her registration as a lobbyist to be able to raise money for her campaign committee.

Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about his new book Invisible Storm: A Solider's Memoir of Politics and PTSD.

Democratic candidate for Missouri's open U.S. Senate seat Lucas Kunce joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his candidacy. Kunce is one of three major candidates on the Democrat side and has directly raised more than $3.3 million for his campaign. On this episode of Politically Speaking, Kunce shares his policy ideas related to abortion, gun control and other topics.

State senator and candidate for Missouri's 1st Congressional District Steven Roberts is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. He joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about why he decided to run against incumbent Cori Bush as well as his policy ideas including on abortion, gun control and the economy.

U.S. Congresswoman and candidate for Missouri's open U.S. Senate seat Vicky Hartzler is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. Hartzler joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to speak on her campaign as well as policy topics including abortion, inflation and the Jan. 6th committee.

U.S. Congressman and Senate candidate Billy Long is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. Long joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about why he should be Missouri Republicans' choice in the upcoming primary on Aug. 2. Long also spoke about inflation, gun control, the Jan. 6. committee and other policy topics.

Missouri 2nd Congressional District hopeful Ray Reeds talks with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum about why he's the best person to be the Democratic nominee for the seat that includes parts of St. Louis, St. Charles, Franklin and Warren Counties.

Missouri House Representative and a Democratic candidate in the race to be Missouri's 2nd Congressional District representative joins the latest episode of Politically Speaking. Gunby talks to St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about the challenging task of flipping the district as well as her policy positions on gun control, the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and more.

Attorney and Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Mark McCloskey is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. McCloskey, who gained national attention in 2020 after he and his wife brandished firearms at protestors who marched past their home, joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his stances on topics such as gun control, abortion and the United States' actions over the war in Ukraine.

St. Louis' political world was turned upside down over the past week or so when three key officials were indicted on bribery charges. STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Rachel Lippmann and Kavahn Mansouri about what these legal proceedings mean for both politics and legislating in the city (and St. Louis County).

Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Spencer Toder joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to share why he is running to replace outgoing Sen. Roy Blunt, as well as his positions on a litany of topics impacting both Missouri and the United States including gun control, abortion and the current elevated inflation rate.

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to break down his campaign for the U.S. Senate. The Sullivan Republican is part of a crowded field angling to succeed U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt later this year.

Drew Dampf joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about a new state Senate map — and the lay of the land for 2022 races for seats in the Missouri General Assembly's upper chamber.

State Rep. Kevin Windham Jr., talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about the 2022 session — and how Democrats made a mark during the budgetary process.

Ben Samuels makes an announcement about his participation in Missouri's 2nd Congressional District contest.

State Rep. Joe Adams returns to Politically Speaking to talk to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about the now completed 2022 Missouri General Assembly session.
 
 The University City Democrat represents a portion of St. Louis County in the Missouri House. After redistricting, his district will consist of University City and portions of Clayton.

With the 2022 Missouri Legislative Session finished, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg spend this episode of Politically Speaking answering your questions about the legislature. What does the redistricting process look like now that the legislature has passed a map? How will the contentiousness that happened this year impact future sessions? What song best describes this session? Those questions and more answered in this mailbag episode.

House Minority Floor Leader Crystal Quade joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about the last week of the 2022 Missouri Legislative Session. In addition to reflecting on this year's session, Quade spoke on the recently passed $49 billion state budget, the possibility of the legislature passing a congressional redistricting map and more.

The 17th Ward Alderwoman joined Politically Speaking to talk about equitable development, efforts to reduce opioid overdoses, and a varied athletic and professional career.

Zora Mulligan, Commissioner of Higher Education for the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg, Jason Rosenbaum and Kate Grumke to talk about the state of higher education in Missouri. Mulligan spoke on current challenges the state is facing in regards to higher education, how the COVID-19 pandemic left its mark, as well as how the state plans to spend some of its funding from the American Rescue Plan Act on capital improvement projects for colleges across Missouri.

After a nearly eight year hiatus, former Missouri state Sen. John Lamping returns to Politically Speaking to discuss this year’s unpredictable U.S. Senate primary.
 
 Lamping represented the 24th Senate district from 2011 to 2015. Since then, he’s moved to St. Charles County but knows many of the contenders to succeed U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt well. He noted that he hasn’t endorsed any of the candidates and doesn’t plan to at this point.

Democratic Rep. Sarah Unsicker, whose district includes both St. Louis City and St. Louis County is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. Unsicker joins both St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to discuss not only the 2022 Missouri Legislative Session, but also the state budget. Unsicker serves on the House Budget Committee and believes the budget that House members passed a few weeks ago underutilizes the surplus Missouri has in its treasury. Unsicker also spoke on her efforts to raise awareness of sex trafficking in the state.

St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan about her first few months on the job — and how her agency will help execute the federal infrastructure bill.

Missouri Senator and member of the Conservative Caucus Bill Eigel is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. Eigel joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about his thoughts on how Missouri should draw its congressional redistricting map. Eigel has been a proponent of a 7-1 majority Republican map, though he ultimately did vote on a map that would likely send six Republicans and two Democrats to Washington. Eigel also spoke on the state of the Senate as well as what he hopes to accomplish this session.

Republican Rep. Bill Hardwick is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. He joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg to talk about how he feels the 2022 legislative session has gone so far. Unlike some of his colleagues in the House, Hardwick is less concerned about the pace of the Missouri Senate, saying its doing its job of being more deliberative. Hardwick also spoke on congressional redistricting as well as his bill that bans public entities from issuing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The 13th Ward Alderwoman joined Politically Speaking to talk “Zooming while driving,” spending the Rams settlement dollars, and running for re-election.

On this episode of Politically Speaking, Rep. Ron Hicks joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg to talk about his bill that would legalize recreational marijuana use in the state. Hicks, a St. Charles Republican, is serving his last year in the House. He also spoke on how he feels the 2022 legislative session is going, including the lack of action on the congressional redistricting map that the House passed in January.

On this episode of Politically Speaking, Rep. Peter Merideth joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg to talk about the current session, including the Missouri budget. The legislature has more to do this year money-wise, including passing an extra supplemental budget bill and allocating billions in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act. Merideth also talked about the series of proposed constitutional amendments that have either passed the House or received first round approval.

Democratic Sen. Brian Williams joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg to talk about the Missouri Senate, which spent almost all of last week talking about redistricting without reaching a conclusion. Despite the delays and continued tensions, Williams is still optimistic about the 2022 Legislative Session. Williams also spoke on recent House activity, including the passage of a supplemental bill and a proposed constitutional amendment regarding the initiative petition process.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg to talk about how the 2022 Legislative Session has progressed one month in. Rowden also spoke on the redistricting process and also about the Senate's decision to essentially kill the appointment of Don Kauerauf to serve as Missouri's health director on a permanent basis.

The 12th Ward alderman joins Politically Speaking to discuss Zoom board meetings, why he wants to focus on river issues, and what it means to be a gay atheist representing a portion of south St. Louis.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum, Jonathan Ahl and Sarah Kellogg to talk about the agriculture agency's 2022 agenda.

The St. Louis Democratic senators joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about the 2022 session — as well as what she would like to see in terms of redistricting for the 1st Congressional District. This episode also features an announcement at the end from Rosenbaum.

In the first episode of the new year, Republican Rep. Dirk Deaton joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum on Politically Speaking. Deaton talked about the legislative session, redistricting and the billions Missouri must eventually allocate in federal coronavirus aid. Deaton serves as the vice-chair of the House Budget Committee.

Can you feel it the end of 2021 coming ever so close? If you're listening to this episode, there are only a few hours left in a year that served a transition period for Missouri and St. Louis politics. Join STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum, Sarah Kellogg, Jonathan Ahl, Rachel Lippmann and Eric Schmid in discussing the top political stories of 2021.

On this edition of Politically Speaking, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo speaks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg. Rizzo talked about his expectations for the 2022 session, how an election year brings more legislative obstacles as a result of political ambition, and the likelihood of Republicans drawing a 7-1 congressional redistricting map.

On a first of its kind episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum answer your questions about Missouri policy and politics.
 
 Kellogg and Rosenbaum solicited queries from various social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and, most successfully, Reddit’s Missouri Politics page.

During this episode of Politically Speaking, Sen. Holly Rehder, a Republican representing part of southeast Missouri, speaks about a letter she cosigned calling for a special session to pass legislation barring private companies from issuing mask mandates. Rehder also spoke about a recent hearing on missing foster children in the state, the statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program she helped pass after years of prior attempts, as well as her expectations for the 2021 legislative session.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Kate Grumke interview three school board members about how they made big decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guests include Maplewood-Richmond Heights Board member Katie Kaufmann, Parkway School Board member Kristy Davis and Jennings School Board member Miranda Jones.

On this edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with STLPR's Eric Schmid and the Belleville News-Democrat's Kelsey Landis about how Illinois Democrats reshaped Metro East congressional districts.