Politically Speaking

Cort VanOstran joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about his Democratic bid in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District. VanOstran is squaring off against Republican Congresswoman Ann Wagner, a Ballwin Republican who has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2013. The district includes parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

Brendan Kelly, the Democratic candidate in the 12th Congressional District, talked extensively with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his decision to enter the highly-competitive congressional contest. Kelly is squaring off against Congressman Mike Bost, who became one of the first Republicans to represent the 12th District in generations. The Bost-Kelly contest is expected to be one of the most competitive congressional races in the nation this year.

This week's episode of Politically Speaking takes a look at next week's special session of the Missouri General Assembly. Gov. Mike Parson called lawmakers back to work to pass bills aimed at expanding STEM education and drug courts. It comes as Missouri's election season is in full swing. One of the items that voters will decide on later this year is a gas tax increase. St. Louis Public Radio's Marshall Griffin joins Jason Rosenbaum to break down the issue.

Sen. Bob Onder joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann to talk about Gov. Mike Parson’s transition in the state’s chief executive office — and what the legislature could deal with in 2019. The Lake Saint Louis Republican represents a portion of St. Charles County. He’s running for re-election against Democrat Patrice Billings. Because Mike Kehoe became lieutenant governor, Onder will serve as the floor leader during next week’s special session. Parson wants the legislature to revamp two bills he vetoed dealing with STEM education and expanding drug courts.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann round of some of the week’s biggest developments in the 2018 elections. One of the topics Rosenbaum and Lippmann take a look at this week is President Donald Trump’s aluminum and steel tariffs — and how they may affect Missouri’s U.S. Senate contest. And in our weekly election analysis feature, Lippmann and Rosenbaum take a closer look at Proposition B — which would raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2023. This push to raise the wage floor took hold recently in St. Louis and Kansas City — and may have a good chance of passing statewide if organized opposition doesn’t emerged before November.

Brian Williams joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann to talk about his big win in the 14th Senatorial District Democratic primary. Williams will represent the central and north St. Louis-based district once the legislature reconvenes in 2019. The 14th District includes municipalities such as Clayton, University City, Ferguson, Hazelwood, Northwoods and Bridgeton. Williams is a Ferguson native who worked many years for Congressman Lacy Clay, D-University City. Among other things, Williams was responsible for communicating with local and state legislative officials on issues that Clay was working on — such as moving the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to north St. Louis.

Libertarian Nick Kasoff joins Politically Speaking to talk about his bid for St. Louis County executive. Kasoff is one of four candidates running in the Nov. 6 election. They include incumbent Democratic County Executive Steve Stenger, GOP challenger Paul Berry III and Constitution Party nominee Andrew Ostrowski.

This week’s Politically Speaking zeroes in on how President Donald Trump will affect Missouri’s election cycle — particularly U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s re-election bid against Attorney General Josh Hawley. On the surface, Trump should benefit Hawley — especially since the GOP chief executive won Missouri by nearly 19 percentage points in 2016. Missouri’s public opinion polls show his approval ratings hovering around 50 percent. But Trump has faced a torrent of controversy this week with the Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen court proceedings.

State Rep. Karla May joins Politically Speaking to talk about her ouster of Sen. Jake Hummel in Missouri’s 4th District. May is a four-term Democratic lawmaker who represents a portion of western St. Louis in the Missouri House. Her dominating victory over Hummel was arguably the biggest statehouse surprise in the Aug. 7 primary. If May wins in November, she will represent St. Louis with Sen. Jamilah Nasheed. It would mark the first time that two African-American women have represented the city in the Missouri Senate.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill joins Politically Speaking to talk about her quest for a third term in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests. The Missouri Democrat was first elected to the Senate in 2006. Before that, McCaskill served as Missouri’s auditor, Jackson County prosecutor and a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. This time around, McCaskill is squaring off against Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican who is emphasizing his conservative bonafides — and his endorsements from President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

Friday’s edition of Politically Speaking looks at three different storylines to watch as candidates and campaigns ramp up for the November election. The first one that St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies tackle is how U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is meeting with Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s latest pick for the U.S. Supreme Court. Both sides of the political spectrum are pressuring McCaskill, which comes as she runs against GOP Attorney General Josh Hawley. As the expensive and competitive Senate race between McCaskill and Hawley continues, unidentified money is flowing into ballot initiatives — including a bid to raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $12 an hour. A group called the Sixteen Thirty Fund has given nearly a million dollars to that initiative — and has refused to say where its money comes from. Meanwhile, the GOP nominee for state auditor, Saundra McDowell, is facing questions about whether she’s qualified to run for the statewide office. The Kansas City Star wrote thi

GOP St. Louis County executive nominee Paul Berry III joins the Politically Speaking podcast to discuss his campaign to be one of the region’s top elected officials. Berry won a two-way GOP primary last week for the county executive’s office. He’ll square off against incumbent St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger in November, along with several third-party candidates.

Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon returns to Politically Speaking to discuss a multitude of issues, including the state of St. Louis’ education system and the challenges of gubernatorial leadership. Nixon served as governor from 2009 to 2017. He is one of only four men (Mel Carnahan, John Ashcroft and Warren Hearnes) to be elected to two consecutive terms as Missouri’s chief executive. He also was elected to four terms as attorney general and to a Jefferson County-based Senate seat.

If Missourians proved anything on Tuesday, it’s that they aren’t predictable when it comes to how they vote. Less than two years removed from endorsing President Donald Trump and a slate of GOP statewide aspirants, voters overwhelmingly repealed the party’s signature policy, right to work, from the law books. But instead of backing candidates that won the blessing of organized labor groups, St. Louis and St. Louis County voters decided to go in very different directions.

On the surface, the purpose of Tuesday’s primary is only to select candidates that will run in the November general election. But in reality, the results could resonate for years to come. That’s because Missouri voters will decide whether to retain right to work, which bars unions and employers from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of employment. And in the St. Louis region, prevailing in the Democratic primary is often tantamount to election — especially in state legislative and local contests. So on this episode, Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum break down what to look for on Tuesday. And they're joined by a mystery guest to explain some vital information about going to the polls.  

David Steelman joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about the health of the University of Missouri System, as well as the demise of former Gov. Eric Greitens. Steelman is a veteran Republican public official who served as a state lawmaker in the 1980s. He’s currently the chairman of the University of Missouri System Board of Curators, which oversees four campuses in Columbia, St. Louis, Rolla and Kansas City.

Attorney General Josh Hawley joins Politically Speaking to talk about the nationally-watched contest for Missouri’s United States Senate seat. Hawley is the most well-known and well-funded Republican seeking to take on U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in the fall. He’s facing off against 10 GOP candidates in next month’s Aug. 7 primary, including two, Austin Petersen and Tony Monetti, that have been guests on Politically Speaking.

This week’s Politically Speaking takes a look at three competitive elections in St. Louis County. It comes as relations between St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger and the St. Louis County Council have deteriorated. Stenger is facing an expensive bid for re-election against businessman Mark Mantovani. St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch is engaged in an increasingly high-profile race against Ferguson City Councilman Wesley Bell. And two Democrats are challenging Councilman Pat Dolan’s bid for re-election.  

St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch joins Politically Speaking to talk about his bid for re-election. McCulloch is one of the longest serving elected officials in Missouri. He’s squaring off against Ferguson City Councilman Wesley Bell in the August 7 primary. Since no Republican filed for the position, the winner of that contest will get to serve a four year term.

This week’s election edition of Politically Speaking examines how national and state-based political figures are assisting Attorney General Josh Hawley and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s campaigns. Hawley received a fundraising boost this week from Vice President Mike Pence, who swung through the St. Louis area on Thursday to promote President Donald Trump’s policies. Meanwhile across the state, House Democrats are trying to a link a 2017 controversy involving Senate President Ron Richard with Hawley. In addition to recapping a few of the week’s top events, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies break down two Democratic primaries for St. Louis-based congressional seats.