Politically Speaking

House Speaker Dean Plocher joins STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his bid to become Missouri's next secretary of state — and also the ethics controversies that have followed him over the last few months.

Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller is no stranger to crowded primaries — including to be the GOP nominee for secretary of state. The GOP countywide official defeated two well-funded and well-organized Republican opponents in 2012 to become the party’s candidate to succeed then-Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. But thanks, perhaps in part, to Republican Todd Akin’s implosion in his race against U...

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum interviews TWO Missouri gubernatorial hopefuls — GOP Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Democratic House Minority Leader Crystal Quade. The two are trying to maneuver through primaries that are slated to take place on Aug. 6. Rosenbaum also talked with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg about the high-stake governor's...

Mike Carter, a municipal judge from Wentzville, said he filed to be Missouri’s next Secretary of State because of its electability. “I identified the Secretary of State's office is having the least amount of competition, the least amount of dollars dedicated to it, and the largest opening for me to repeat what I did in the past and just ascend right to the position,” Carter said. However, the day...

State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman was the first candidate to jump into the GOP fray for the now-open 3rd Congressional District seat. And she ended up being one of the last contenders to file to be the next secretary of state. During an episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking, Coleman detailed why she chose to switch up races — contending that the statewide post that oversees busi...

State Sen. Bill Eigel spent his roughly two terms in the Missouri Senate going against the grain of GOP leaders. But the Weldon Spring Republican doesn’t believe his clashes with fellow GOP elected officials will be a detriment to his gubernatorial bid. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Eigel said his anti-establishment posture puts him in a good position in a competitive G...

Former Missouri U.S. Sen. John Danforth witnessed lots changes to politics over his lifetime. Danforth, added his age 87, who served in the Senate from 1976 to 1995 and as Missouri’s attorney general from 1969 to 1976, was at the cutting edge of turning Missouri from a state that voted for Democrats for statewide posts to a bellwether that was somewhat evenly divided between the parties. But Danfo...

Missouri's 2024 session is over. And in some respects, the divides between Missouri Republicans, especially in the Senate, were more noteworthy than the things that were actually passed. STLPR's Sarah Kellogg joins The Politically Speaking Hour to talk about what passed — and why the supermajority era may be coming to an end. Later in the show, STLPR's Rachel Lippmann discussed St. Louis Mayor Tis...

Missouri child abuse investigators missed warning signs of fentanyl use among parents before their young children died of accidental overdoses from the drug, according to a new state report. It found that Children's Division investigators, who are tasked with following up on claims of abuse and neglect, “lacked essential procedures, missed warning signs and left vulnerable children at risk.” St. L...

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with child welfare advocate Jessica Seitz about a startling new reporting detailing how Children's Division investigators missed warning signs of fentanyl use among parents before those parents' children died. Rosenbaum also talks to Congressman Mark Alford about his recent trip to Taiwan and Richa...

NPR National Political correspondent Sarah McCammon recently released The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. It is part memoir and part exploration into the role Evangelicals play in politics. In a conversation with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, McCammon first talked about how her book connected with a wide audience — including people who didn’t gr...

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks to Missouri Independent's Jason Hancock about the ethics investigation into House Speaker Dean Plocher. Rosenbaum also spoke with Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo about Senate Democrats' expectations about the final weeks of session. And he also discussed a ballot item legalizing sports b...

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Missouri state Sen. Brian Williams discusses the state budget process and the 2024 election cycle. Williams represents Missouri’s 14th District, which takes in several dozen municipalities in St. Louis County. Williams was first elected to his post in 2018 and reelected with no opposition in 2022.

Yes, political can be interesting and exciting. But in the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Saint Louis University's Ken Warren about what's driving increased voter apathy. Rosenbaum also speaks with state Rep. Tony Lovasco of St. Charles County about his call for Gov. Mike Parson to commute Brian Dorsey's death sentence. A...

State Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg returns to Politically Speaking to talk about his campaign for secretary of state — and the prospects of being able to legalize sports betting in Missouri. Hoskins is one of eight GOP contenders seeking to succeed Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

Webster Groves native Karlie Kloss took the modeling world by storm in the 2010s before launching a highly successful effort to connect young women with computer coding and, more recently, helping relaunch Life Magazine. But on Monday, Kloss discussed another passion in an exclusive interview with St. Louis Public Radio: Her advocacy for abortion rights in Missouri and around the Midwest. “I'm one...

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about his decision to depart from the secretary of state’s contest. The Columbia Republican had announced his statewide bid last year. He had the most campaign money out of any of the GOP competitors for the post and had experience winning tough...

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum discusses the Illinois primary results with STLPR's Will Bauer and Brian Munoz. Rosenbaum also chats with SLU's Steven Rogers and STLPR's Jo Mannies about the SLU/YouGov poll and what it could mean for the 2024 election cycle

Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg on the latest episode of Politically Speaking. The Platte County Republican is the sponsor of an omnibus bill dealing with public safety. Luetkemeyer breaks down his bill, as well as discusses other topics like sports betting, his bill last session creating a property tax freeze for seniors and how he's felt the 2024 Legislative Se...

State Rep. Scott Cupps joins STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his pathway from the agricultural business to the Missouri House. The Shell Knob Republican also talked about his explosive committee hearing with state Treasurer Vivek Malek, which featured bipartisan criticism of his decision to place unclaimed property decals on Torch's controversial gaming machines.

On the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Senate Majority Leader Cindy O'Laughlin of Shelbina about the state of the Missouri Senate. Rosenbaum also discussed what to expect in the second half of the Missouri General Assembly's session with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg. And in the final segment of the show, St. Loui...

After a long hiatus from electoral politics, former Missouri Sen. Kurt Schaefer is re-entering the fray with his entry into Missouri's 3rd Congressional District contest. The Columbia Republican talked with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum earlier this week about why he decided to run — and provided his stances on a slew of foreign policy and domestic issues.

The latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air features an extensive interview with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. Jones talked with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about crime prevention, regional homelessness policies, and how city policymakers shouldn't spend the St. Louis Rams settlement. Later in the program, Rosenbaum and STLPR's Will Bauer talk with IL...

Missouri Congressman Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, spoke to St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum on Saturday Feb. 17, 2024, at Missouri Republican Party Lincoln Days in Kansas City. Burlison talked about his support for former President Donald Trump's policies, his opposition to providing military aid to Ukraine, and why Republicans should embrace early voting strategies instead of constantly...

The leader of Missouri’s agency responsible for investigating child abuse and neglect says its St. Louis office is making progress in eliminating a massive case backlog. Last year, St. Louis Public Radio reported on the troubles in the Children’s Division office in St. Louis, which serves the city and St. Louis County. A combination of high turnover and inability to hire people created a backlog o...