Politically Speaking

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.

Ferguson City Councilman Wesley Bell comes back to the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about the race for St. Louis County executive.

The Democratic official is taking on incumbent St. Louis Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, one of the longest serving local officials in the entire state. Since no Republican signed up to run, the winner of the August 7 primary will serve a four year term.

This week's election edition of Politically Speaking looks into the referendum over Missouri's right to work law — and the GOP primary for state auditor.

Besides the U.S. Senate contest, the right to work fight and GOP auditor race will be on every Missouri primary ballot on Aug. 7. And both matters could have long-term ramifications for the state's politics.

State Rep. Gina Mitten returns to the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about serving on the committee that investigated former Gov. Eric Greitens.

Mitten was one of three Democrats who were members of a committee looking into Greitens conduct. The committee ended up releasing a bombshell report in April in which Greitens was accused of sexual and physical abuse, which he denied. But the personal and campaign finance allegations against Greitens prompted lawmakers to call themselves into special session to possibly consider impeachment.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies debut a new edition of the show — a weekly roundup of the big issues shaping Missouri’s election cycle.

It will also showcase some contests that are below the radar — as well as marquee contests that will attract national attention.

On this week’s show, we look into how U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement will factor into Missouri’s U.S. Senate race. If President Donald Trump’s pick is confirmed, it will likely reshape legal precedent on a host of topics for decades.

St. Louis Alderman Shane Cohn, D-25th Ward, joins Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann on the latest edition of Politically Speaking to talk budgets, progressive politics, and running for office as an openly gay man.

Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft joins Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann on the latest episode of Politically Speaking.

Ashcroft's been busy since he took office in January 2017. He's overseen the implementation of the state's voter photo identification law. He's also in charge of certifying petitions for the November election, which could include several on marijuana.

On this week's episode, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann talk to former St. Louis County police chief Tim Fitch, who is running as a Republican for the County Council's Third District.

On the podcast, Fitch discusses the role he can play in getting the Council to work better with County Executive Steve Stenger, why he wants to "put a box" around money from a public safety sales tax, and why he isn't taking campaign contributions.

On this episode of Politically Speaking, Jo Mannies and Marshall Griffin talk to State Sen.-elect Lauren Arthur, a Kansas City-area Democrat.

Arthur flipped a state Senate seat that had been held by Republicans for more than a decade. On the show, she discusses how she believes Democrats should stay true to a progressive message.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum welcomes Sean Soendker Nicholson, Sen. Rob Schaaf and former Sen. Jim Lembke to the program to talk about a ballot initiative known as “Clean Missouri.”

Clean Missouri is a multi-faceted ethics proposal that seeks to curb lobbyist-paid freebies, make it more difficult for lawmakers to become lobbyists, tweak campaign finance laws and, perhaps most notably, overhaul how state legislative districts are drawn.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann reflect on Gov. Eric Greitens’ decision to resign from office.

The move marks a stunning end to a fast-rising political career that began with presidential ambitions and ended with a wave of scandal.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum is pleased to welcome University of Missouri System President Mun Choi to the program for the first time.

Choi oversees four University of Missouri campuses in Columbia, Rolla, Kansas City and St. Louis. He took on his job on March 1, 2017, succeeding interim President Michael Middleton.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies go over this week’s big developments in Gov. Eric Greitens’ political and legal saga.

This week’s episode zeroes in on how the woman at the heart of the scandal, identified only as K.S., spoke publicly for the first time. It came as lawmakers read depositions where the woman had to answer provocative and personal questions about her interactions with Greitens.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger to the program.

The Democratic chief executive of Missouri’s largest county is running for a second four-year term. His main opposition is in the Democratic primary this August, where businessman Mark Mantovani is seeking to oust him. There are no well-known Republicans seeking the office.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann and Jo Mannies detail a dramatic week in Gov. Eric Greitens’ legal and political saga.

This was supposed to be the first week of Gov. Eric Greitens’ trial for felony invasion of privacy. But as jury selection trudged along at a glacial pace, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office shocked many courtroom observers by dropping the case.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome state Rep. Peter Merideth to the program.

Merideth is a St. Louis Democrat who represents south central portions of the city in the Missouri House. He was elected to his seat in 2016 and running for re-election later this year.

The Missouri General Assembly is going into the final week of its regular session this week. It comes as lawmakers are mulling over whether to impeach Gov. Eric Greitens, who is set to go on trial this week on felony invasion of privacy charges.