Politically Speaking

St. Louis Alderman Terry Kennedy is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he spoke with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann about his 30-year tenure on the Board of Aldermen.

Kennedy represents the 18th Ward, which takes in nine neighborhoods in central and north St. Louis — including the Central West End, Vandeventer and JeffVanderLou neighborhoods. He’s planning to resign in early January to become clerk of the Board of Aldermen.

A second generation alderman, Kennedy joined the board in 1989. He succeeded his father, Sam Kennedy, who served on the board for 21 years. During his time in office, Kennedy helped create the North Sarah development — a state, federal and private partnership that brought about new housing in his ward.

Kennedy was also the key backer of a Civilian Oversight Board for the St. Louis Police Department. That idea languished for years, until aldermen ended up passing legislation after Michael Brown’s shooting death in Ferguson. After the Jason Stockley protests, aldermen ended up giving that board subpoena power.

Sen.-elect Eric Burlison, the latest guest on Politically Speaking, talked about the upcoming legislative session  — including his bill that would implement “right to work” in Missouri.

The Greene County Republican served for eight years in the Missouri House before hitting term limits. He successfully ran for a state Senate seat this year that includes part of Greene and all of Christian County.

Burlison is a computer programmer who has been active in GOP politics for some time. He first ran for the Missouri House in 2008, winning a seat that took in part of the city of Springfield with about 57 percent of the vote.

During his tenure in the Missouri House, Burlison became chairman of the House Professional Licensing and Registration Committee. While that committee doesn’t attract a lot of attention, it’s arguably one of the most important legislative committees since it places regulations on a host of industries.

Veteran Democrat Mike Jones – who has played significant roles in St. Louis and St. Louis County government – joins Politically Speaking to offer his take on how best for Democrats to regroup after their generally poor showing.

Jones also talks policy, particularly in his current role as a member of the state Board of Education.

Jones began his political career more than three decades ago as a St. Louis alderman in the city’s 21st ward. Since then, he’s become a go-to person for state, city and county officials.

Most recently, he’s been tapped as a consultant in the city’s deliberations of whether to privatize St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

State Rep.-elect Mary Elizabeth Coleman joins Politically Speaking to talk about her big win in Missouri’s 97th District House seat — and her expectations about the upcoming legislative session.

Coleman is a Republican from Arnold who defeated Democratic state Rep. Mike Revis in this month’s election. She will represent parts of St. Louis and Jefferson counties when lawmakers return for the 2019 session in January.

Coleman is an attorney who previously served on the Arnold City Council. She was one of three Republicans who signed up to take on Revis, who took over a seat that Republicans had controlled for roughly eight years.

St. Louis Alderman Scott Ogilvie returns to Politically Speaking to talk about the pressing issues before the Board of Aldermen — and why he’s decided to leave after the 2019 elections.

Ogilvie represents the 24th Ward, which takes in six neighborhoods around southwestern St. Louis. That includes neighborhoods that encompass Dogtown, such as Cheltenham, Clayton Tamm, Franz Park, Hi-Pointe and Ellendale.

Ogilvie first burst onto St. Louis’ political scene in 2011 when he prevailed as an independent candidate against former Alderman Tom Bauer. For a time, he was the only member of the Board of Aldermen who wasn’t elected as a Democrat. He successfully ran for re-election in 2015 as a Democrat, once again defeating Bauer.

Throughout his tenure as an alderman, Ogilvie has been advocate for bolstering the city’s mass transit and bicycle infrastructure. He was also the sponsor of legislation that implemented donation limits for city-based candidates.

Sen.-elect Cindy O’Laughlin joins the Politically Speaking podcast for the first time to talk about her priorities for the 18th Senatorial District — and her experiences as a first-time candidate.

O’Laughlin won the election last week to represent the 18th Senatorial District district, which takes in a swath of northeast Missouri including cities like Hannibal, Kirksville and Bowling Green.

St. Louis Public Radio’s political trio – Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann – did a postmortem of Tuesday’s election results on the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast.

The upshot is that Missouri Republicans did well, and state Democrats have some rebuilding to do.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., was ousted by Republican Josh Hawley, and state Auditor Nicole Galloway barely won, despite a low-budget challenge from Republican Saundra McDowell.

One Democratic bright spot was Cort VanOstran’s strong – but unsuccessful – bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin.

For Missouri Democrats, tomorrow is judgment day.

After leading the Show Me State for most of its existence, voters will decide if the last two Democratic statewide officials remain in their posts. If U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and state Auditor Nicole Galloway prevail, it could provide a jolt for a party seeking to rebound after the disaster of 2016.

But if GOP Attorney General Josh Hawley is able to topple McCaskill, and Saundra McDowell is elected auditor, it could be the surest evidence that once-purple Missouri is now deep red.

Those two races aren’t the only things on the electoral radar. Voters will also decide on several major ballot initiatives — including three on legalizing medical marijuana. And across the river in Illinois, Republicans are on the defensive after Gov. Bruce Rauner’s tumultuous term.

Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about how Democrats are stacking up in next week’s election.

Both Webber and Missouri Republican Party Chairman Todd Graves recorded episodes of Politically Speaking. You can listen to Graves’ episode by clicking here.

Webber is a former state representative from Columbia who was elected in 2016 as party chairman. The 35-year-old took on that role after narrowly losing a state Senate race to Republican Caleb Rowden.

Since becoming chairman, Webber has been traveling all over the state to rebuild the party after the 2016 election. He’s placed an emphasis on fielding more candidates in state legislative races — instead of letting Republicans run unopposed. And he’s also sought to foster a more aggressive get-out-the-vote effort to help U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and state Auditor Nicole Galloway win their elections.

Missouri Republican Party Chairman Todd Graves joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies on the latest edition of Politically Speaking.

Both Graves and Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber taped podcasts giving their perspective on next week’s election, which will have a major impact on the state’s future political trajectory.

Graves is a partner at the Graves Garrett law firm in Kansas City. He became chairman of the Missouri Republican Party after the 2016 election cycle.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies take a deep look at Amendment 1 on the latest edition of Political Speaking.

The measure, widely known as Clean Missouri, combines a host of ethics-related alterations with an overhaul of state legislative redistricting. Out of all the things on the Nov. 6 ballot, Clean Missouri is eliciting the most unusual political alliances.

Proponents include left-of-center activists and groups that helped craft the measure, as well as some prominent Republicans. Backers contend that Clean Missouri will make politics more accessible to people — as opposed to special interests or lobbyists.

Detractors believe that the ethics-related items in Clean Missouri, including curtailing lobbyist gifts and slightly lowering campaign donation limits, are aimed at making the state legislative redistricting changes more palatable to voters. While many of the opponents are Republicans, some African-American officials and groups aren’t supporting Clean Missouri because of fears it will lead to fewer black lawmakers getting elected.

GOP state auditor nominee Saundra McDowell joins the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about her campaign for the statewide office.

McDowell is squaring off against incumbent Democrat Nicole Galloway, who was appointed to her post after Tom Schweich’s death in 2015. You can listen to Galloway’s appearance on the show here.

McDowell is an Oklahoma native and Air Force veteran who received her law degree from Regent University. She worked as an assistant attorney general and as director of enforcement for the securities division under Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway returns to the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about her quest for a full four-year in office.

The Democratic official was appointed to her post in 2015 after the suicide of  Tom Schweich. She’s squaring off against Republican Saundra McDowell in Nov. 6 election. McDowell’s episode of Politically Speaking will be posted on Wednesday afternoon.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies examine Thursday night’s televised debate between U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and Attorney General Josh Hawley.

The debate comes as most polls show a tight race between McCaskill and Hawley. And few observers believe that Democrats have any chance of taking over the Senate if McCaskill can’t win a third term.

Among other things, the candidates debated health care, immigration policy, “right to work” laws, global warming and Second Amendment rights. Hawley contended that McCaskill is too liberal for a state which went for President Donald Trump by 19 points. McCaskill emphasized her independence, someone who will work with “anyone, anytime” to address the state’s needs.

Congresswoman Ann Wagner joins Politically Speaking to talk about her re-election battle against Democrat Cort VanOstran.

The Ballwin Republican represents Missouri's 2nd District, which includes parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties.

Many political prognosticators believe that Democrats have a good chance of retaking the House this year. And if they do, the party may gain the most ground in places like Wagner’s 2nd District — which take in a big portion of the St. Louis suburbs. Wagner contends she’s well positioned to fend off a potential "blue wave."

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies delve into the three medical marijuana initiatives.

Missourians will vote on Amendment 2, Amendment 3 and Proposition C. All three initiatives would make it legal to get marijuana for medical use. But they differ greatly in terms of how much marijuana will be taxed, how the regulatory framework would work, and where the money would go toward.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies look at three things playing a big role in Missouri’s 2018 election cycle.

The first is debate over pre-existing conditions between U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and her GOP opponent Josh Hawley. It stems from Hawley’s decision to be a part of a lawsuit seeking to upend the Affordable Care Act.

McCaskill made health care a signature issue of her re-election campaign long before it became a trend among other Democratic candidate running in states where President Donald Trump is reasonably popular.

Mannies and Rosenbaum also discuss the importance of turnout, and Democratic unity, in St. Louis County for candidates like McCaskill. They also reflect on former Secretary of State Jason Kander’s decision to bow out of the Kansas City mayor’s race to seek treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Randy Auxier, the Green Party nominee in Illinois’ 12th Congressional District, is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast.

Auxier is running against incumbent Republican Congressman Mike Bost and Democratic nominee Brendan Kelly. Both Kelly and Bost both recorded episodes of Politically Speaking earlier this year.

Auxier is a Memphis native who is currently a philosophy professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He’s been active in Green Party politics for some time, most recently running for a slot on the Jackson County Board in 2016.

Democrat Robert Butler is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. He joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Abigail Censky to talk about his bid for the 22nd District Senate seat.

Butler is running against incumbent Sen. Paul Wieland, an Imperial Republican who first captured the Jefferson County-based district in 2014. Wieland’s episode of Politically Speaking was posted on Monday.

Butler is an attorney who has lived in Jefferson County for more than 20 years. The Barnhart resident is not a first time candidate: He’s run for a state House seat encompassing part of northern Jefferson County twice, losing both times to House Majority Leader Rob Vescovo.

Sen. Paul Wieland is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. He talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Abigail Censky about his re-election bid in Missouri’s 22nd District Senate seat.

The Imperial Republican represents a portion of Jefferson County in the Missouri Senate. His race against Democrat Robert Butler is one of the most competitive state Senate races in the entire state — and could give a sense of how other statewide campaigns shake out.