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OVERLAND PARK, Kansas — Voters in a landslide Tuesday defeated a proposed amendment to the Kansas constitution that would have stripped residents of abortion rights, defying polling and political observes who expected a close result. The ballot measure was failing by a 63-37 margin at 9:45 p.m. as voters responded to an intense and costly campaign marked […]

The post Kansas voters defeat anti-abortion amendment in unexpected landslide appeared first on Missouri Independent.

ST. LOUIS — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt beat back a crowded field of opponents Tuesday night to secure the Republican nomination for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat. With most precincts reporting, Schmitt led with 45% of the vote, compared to 22% for U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler and 19% for disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens. […]

The post Missouri AG Eric Schmitt beats Hartzler, Greitens to claim GOP Senate nomination appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON —  The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed bipartisan legislation that would provide health care and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances while deployed overseas, after many Republicans switched their votes and decided to once again back the legislation. The shift came after days of protest and vigils outside the U.S. Capitol, […]

The post U.S. Senate in turnaround backs aid for veterans exposed to burn pits appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A multi-year report analyzing maternal mortality in Missouri and published Monday found that women on Medicaid are eight times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than their counterparts with private health insurance. It also found Black women in Missouri were three times more likely to die within a year of pregnancy than […]

The post Stark disparities persist in Missouri’s maternal mortality rate, state board finds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Former President Donald Trump finally issued his long anticipated endorsement in Missouri’s crowded GOP primary for U.S. Senate Monday night.  But it’s anybody’s guess which candidate he supports.  In a statement from his campaign, Trump endorsed “Eric,” without specifying whether he meant former Gov. Eric Greitens or Attorney General Eric Schmitt.  “I am therefore proud […]

The post Trump endorses ‘Eric’ in Missouri GOP Senate primary, but doesn’t clarify which one appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Boone County sent out more than 100,000 sample ballots to prepare voters for Tuesday’s primary election, and many were surprised at what they saw.  “They weren’t aware of redistricting happening,” said Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon. “So we had a lot of questions from people that were newly in the 3rd Congressional District that were […]

The post Missouri Election Day FAQ: What you need to know to make sure your vote counts appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Back in September of 2021, I asked: If each U.S. Senate primary candidate held a Texas Hold ‘Em starting hand, what would they be, and why? If you’re still following the series, then I assume you have some basic familiarity with poker. This spring, I provided an update, with a column describing the flop — […]

The post Missouri’s GOP Senate primary as a hand of Texas Hold ‘Em, part four: The river appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The openings created by the ambitions of two Republican members of Congress are producing hot undercard primaries for GOP voters in central and southwest Missouri. And political action committees, some with known names and others created just for these races, are flooding the 4th and 7th Congressional Districts with attack ads that indicate who the […]

The post Massive spending fuels contentious primaries in Missouri Congressional, auditor races appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Missouri Sunshine Law next year, a statewide organization dedicated to government transparency has honored The Missouri Independent as a “Sunshine Hero” for its work covering state government since launching in October 2020.  In addition to The Independent, the Missouri Sunshine Coalition has also chosen Greene County Clerk […]

The post Missouri Independent honored as ‘Sunshine Hero’ by statewide organization appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden took a preliminary victory lap Thursday to celebrate Democrats striking a surprise deal on a sweeping legislative package that renewed hopes of historic action on the party’s health care, tax and climate goals. But just down Pennsylvania Avenue, Senate Democrats said they needed to read through the bill text to […]

The post U.S. Senate Democrats dive into details of surprise 725-page reconciliation bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Environmental advocates largely praised the climate provisions in Senate Democrats’ massive taxes, health care and energy bill released Wednesday night, saying even with provisions to help the fossil fuel industry, the measure represents a historic step toward addressing the climate crisis. The 725-page bill — made public mere hours after U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate […]

The post Climate spending in new reconciliation deal a ‘turning point’ for the U.S., supporters say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Veterans and their advocates gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday for what was supposed to be a celebration, one day after a crucial Senate vote on bipartisan legislation that would expand health care and benefits to 3.5 million veterans exposed to burn pits during their deployments. The gathering instead became a forum […]

The post ‘These people don’t care’: U.S. Senate GOP stalls bill for veterans exposed to burn pits appeared first on Missouri Independent.

COLUMBIA — The final push to next week’s primary has Attorney General Eric Schmitt joining, for the first time, those hoping to oust Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican Leader and Lucas Kunce dismissing the importance of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’ endorsement in the Democratic race. Speaking to reporters after a campaign stop in a […]

The post After months of wavering, Schmitt comes out against McConnell days before Senate primary appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For much of the last two years, the Missouri Senate has been mired in Republican infighting. On one side is GOP leadership, who have struggled to advance a legislative agenda despite controlling 24 of the chamber’s 34 seats. On the other is the conservative caucus, which spent most of the 2022 legislative session throwing up […]

The post 10 GOP primaries that could shape the Missouri Senate next year appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate came up short Wednesday in trying to move ahead on legislation that would provide health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits overseas. The bill, from Montana Democratic Sen. John Tester and Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran, has been bogged down for nearly two months as U.S. lawmakers debated […]

The post U.S. Senate fails to advance burn pits bill for veterans in dispute over spending appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck an agreement Wednesday for a Democrats-only reconciliation package that would allow negotiations on some Medicare prescription drugs, end corporate tax loopholes and address climate change as well as invest in energy projects. President Joe Biden in a statement on […]

The post Manchin and U.S. Senate Democrats strike a deal on major health, climate, tax package appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The political enemies made in Jefferson City by a state senator seeking to continue his political career in county government followed him home. State Sen. Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, must leave office in January because of term limits. He is running in the Republican primary for county executive in Jefferson County, challenging first-term incumbent Dennis Gannon. […]

The post Missouri senator faces attacks he says are payback for filibuster of Graves nomination appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON —  U.S. Senate Democrats tried to pass legislation Wednesday that would guarantee women can continue using contraception if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the long-standing precedent, the way it did with abortion. But Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst blocked their efforts by objecting to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey’s request for unanimous consent to […]

The post Bill guaranteeing right to birth control blocked in U.S. Senate by Republican appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The CEOs of major gun manufacturing companies told a U.S. House panel on Wednesday that their production of AR-15-style guns did not contribute to recent mass shootings that left 29 people dead, and that the killings were due to the actions of individual shooters. Ahead of the hearing, the House Oversight & Reform […]

The post Gun company CEOs tell Congress they’re not to blame for mass shootings appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Rep. Trish Gunby and gun-control activist Ray Reed are vying for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd Congressional District primary on Tuesday. This spring’s redistricting process made the 2nd District more favorable to a Republican candidate, but Gunby and Reed both believe they still have a shot at beating the well-resourced GOP incumbent, Congresswoman […]

The post Pair of Democrats vie for chance to challenge Ann Wagner in 2nd Congressional District appeared first on Missouri Independent.