Politically Speaking

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 this week about how legal scholars wonder if McDowell has lived in Missouri long enough to be auditor. McDowell said in a statement that she believes qualifies.

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two years removed from endorsing President Donald Trump and a slate of GOP statewide aspirants, voters overwhelmingly repealed the party’s signature policy, right to work, from the law books.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.

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.