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A look around the region at the week that was in electoral politics and a glimpse of the week to come.This election cycle brought about an unprecedented flow of initiative petitions -- 143 to be exact. Even though an innumerable amount of trees were sacrificed in paperwork, only four items have any chance of making it to the ballot. Earlier in May, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced that various groups had turned in signatures for the following ballot initiatives: A bid to transition oversight of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department away from state control. A measure that would raise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products by 73 cents. Changes to how “payday loan” …
A Missouri ballot initiative aimed at curtailing interest rates at “payday loan” entities is getting some national attention. For an episode of PBS’s Need to Know, airing locally this weekend, the program traveled to the Show Me State to follow around activists who are collecting signatures for an initiative petition. If the ballot measure makes it to the ballot and if voters approve it, interest rates on certain lending companies would be capped at 36 percent. Supporters of the initiative argue that the loan agencies place poorer Missourians in a cycle of debt. But opponents counter that the…
The last few iterations of this column have noted how several candidates for the U.S. Senate utilized creative means to entice fundraising efforts. For instance, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) used his rhetorical scuffle with President Barack Obama over student loans in a fundraising pitch. And Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has directly attacked third-party organizations that are pre-emptively attacking the incumbent lawmaker as she makes a difficult bid for re-election. McCaskill’s campaign staff continued on a creative path in an email that was sent to supporters earlier this week. They …
Former state Rep. Gina Walsh (D-Bellefontaine Neighbors) continues to rack up endorsements in her bid for the 13th District Senate seat. Walsh this week said that she had been officially endorsed by St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, not a surprising development since the Democratic official attended her kick-off party earlier this year. She also received backing from St. Louis County Councilman Mike O’Mara (D-Florissant), Councilwoman Kathleen Burkett (D-Overland) and Councilman Pat Dolan (D-Richmond Heights). Walsh was also endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents…
There’s one less Democratic candidate in the race for the 1st Senatorial District, which encompasses a sizable portion of south St. Louis County. Michael Vogt, an Affton resident who served four terms in the Missouri House, withdrew his candidacy earlier this week. Vogt, an attorney, raised only $100 during the past fundraising quarter, a far cry from either Rep. Scott Sifton (D-Affton) or former state Rep. Sue Schoemehl (D-Oakville). Whoever wins the primary between Sifton and Schoemehl will face incumbent state Sen. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay). While the redistricted 1stDistrict is more Democratic…
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) made an appearance this week on The Colbert Report, a popular satirical news show on Comedy Central. The first-term senator spent time on the show talking about her latest ad, which hones on third-party organizations that have been running ads against her. “Stephen, as he always does, used his character to point out the absurd loopholes in federal election law that allow corporations and special interests to anonymously influence the political system. I applaud the work he and his show do to educate America about 501(c)(4) organizations and secret money,” …
Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) got some press in late April after President Barack Obama alluded to the U.S. Senate hopeful’s comments about government-backed student loans. At a debate in Columbia, Akin said the following about pending student loan legislation: "America has got the equivalent of the stage three cancer of socialism because the federal government is tampering in all kinds of stuff it has no business tampering in. So first, to answer your question precisely, what the democrats did to get rid of the private student loans and take it all over by the government was wrong, it was a …
Chalk this up as one of the more unusual transportation vehicles utilized during the 2012 election season: St. Louis City attorney Ed Martin’s campaign for attorney general is using a retrofitted ambulance aimed at showcasing the Republican’s opposition to President Barack Obama’s health care plan. Martin’s campaign announced last week that the “Ed Martin for Attorney General Campaign ‘Stop Obamacare’ Ambulance” would be traveling around the state to collect signatures against the health care law passed in 2010. “We are inviting citizens from across the state to come out to the ‘Stop …
This week, lawmakers from across the country have introduced measures to prevent the shuttering of various United States Postal Service offices. Last summer, the agency announced it would evaluate the operations at more than 3,000 offices nationwide, including a handful in St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis. Click here for a list of all Missouri branches of the U.S. Postal Service under evaluation. Maplewood-Brentwood Patch recently reported that any decision on closures under the current round of "rightsizing" would not come until next month at the earliest. But both of Missouri's U.…
The tea party movement’s activism may have helped tip the 2010 election cycle to Republicans, especially since dedicated volunteers helped Republicans win the U.S. House and close the gap in the U.S. Senate. So it’s no surprise that candidates—including the three major Republicans running for the U.S. Senate in Missouri—are trying to gather support from tea party organizations and political figures. But one of the interesting aspects of the movement is its inherent decentralization—no one entity speaks for everybody. For instance, former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman announced a few weeks …
Missouri politics may be the best arena to ask “what if?” For instance, what if Republican Matt Blunt had decided to run for re-election in 2008? Would he have defeated then-Attorney General Jay Nixon? Or would he have been swept under the relative Democratic wave that year? And what if Chris Koster had decided to run for attorney general as a Republican? Would he have emerged victorious out of a GOP primary or would have been defeated by more conservative candidates? Political prognosticators can only dream. But a more recent version of that fun and exciting exercise comes about with …
Back when she ran for governor in 2008, then-state Treasurer Sarah Steelman sent out a press release touting the support of non-elected individuals. It was meant as a jab of sorts against U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, a Columbia Republican who had scooped up support from elected officials across the state. Flash forward four years later, and Steelman is running for the U.S. Senate seat. In a crowded primary, she's considered one of three credible candidates for the chance to face off against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri). This time around, Steelman has some advantages. She's the only …
Now that the filing period to sign up for state legislative races is over, things are beginning to be a little clearer about what’s to come during the impending election cycle. Locally the main event will most likely be the 1st Congressional District race that features Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis City) and Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis City). Barring a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that chucks the redistricted congressional map, both candidates remain on the ballot to run in the district that includes all of St. Louis City and a portion of St. Louis County. The battle between Clay and Carnahan …
After weeks of explanations and prognostications, caucus time is Saturday for most Republicans in St. Louis County. In most years, caucuses are simply a mechanism to approve delegates of whoever prevailed in the Republican primary. But since Republicans limited the dates during which primaries would be binding, and the Missouri legislature has not moved to change the primary date, the Missouri Republican Party is using caucuses as the mechanism to choose their delegates. Get updates with free Chesterfield Patch subscription But there is yet another peculiarity to the state caucus. Missouri …
After more twists and turns than a roller-coaster, redistricting has been nothing short of a harrowing experience for Senate candidates looking to run for office, learn who the competition is, and who will be voting for (or against) them. But is it possible that state Senate redistricting could be reaching some sort of conclusion? Friday is the deadline for feedback for a tentative Senate map that was approved by a bipartisan commission a couple of weeks ago. The district lines have to be redrawn every 10 years based on U.S. Census population shifts across the state. The response to the …
Here's a caucus locations update since a couple of weeks ago, when we tried to sort out the web surrounding Republican presidential caucuses. To recap, Missouri Republicans voted in a non-binding primary in February, so they will utilize the caucuses to decide which candidates get the GOP presidential delegates to the conventions. Since that time, the Missouri Republican Party has announced on its website the dates and times for various caucuses around the St. Louis area. St. Louis County Republicans will be caucusing by township at 10 a.m. on March 17. For Chesterfield's registered …
File this Beer Party item under almost missed: Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-University City) filed a bill earlier this month to make St. Louis Brewery and Boulevard Brewing Company the state’s official breweries. St. Louis Brewery, of course, is the purveyor of Schlafly beer. The company’s Bottleworks location is a hot spot in Maplewood, while the Tap House is a fixture in St. Louis City. The bill was then referred to the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee. Want to bet on whether Budweiser is putting its lobbyists into action? Where's the line? The …
This writer often uses Twitter to follow reactions to notable events, as well as to catch the latest news about the Chicago White Sox and professional wrestling. But the social media service can often break news, as was the case earlier this week when politico Patricia Bynes tweeted during a meeting of the St. Louis County Central Committee. KMOX noted that when an aide to U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan was asked about where the St. Louis Democrat was running this year, he responded “I'm not trying to be flippant, but he will run in the district he lives in.” If Missouri's congressional map survives…
For procrastinators, Wednesday was especially difficult. That’s because seemingly essential websites, such as Wikipedia, were blacked out to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act. The House bill, commonly known as SOPA, and the Senate legislation, known as PIPA, are attempts at curbing piracy of popular media, such as movies and music. But many opponents say the bills could have a much farther-reaching impact that could shut down sites, such as the aforementioned free online encyclopedia. Thus, Wednesday became the day where many sites opposed to the measures spoke out and …
A candidate debate takes place Thursday 7 p.m. (tonight) with former Missouri Republican Party Chairwoman Ann Wagner and attorney Ed Martin at the Cliff Cave Branch of the St. Louis County Library. Library staff said the library was open, despite snow. Cliff Cave Branch Library, 5430 Telegraph Rd., Oakville, 314-994-3300.The forum marks the latest meeting between the two leading candidates for the U.S. Congress seat to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO.)This week, we learned that a third candidate may enter the Republican fray. Webster Groves physician Randy Jotte is considering the …
