On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, state Rep. Kevin Windham talks about his decision to leave the Missouri House to take a job at Washington University as their assistant director for community engagement.

He said salary considerations played a role, adding that he’s made roughly the same amount of money since he graduated from college.

The St. Louis County Democrat represents Missouri’s 74th District, which takes in municipalities such as Pagedale, Uplands Park, Normandy, Vinita Park, Hillsdale and Velda Village Hills. He will be leaving office in January.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum welcomes two high-profile members of Congress from Missouri: Reps. Cori Bush and Jason Smith. Bush spoke with Rosenbaum about her time in Congress, and why she's not going to fade away from public view after she leaves office. And Smith discusses the tricky road for Republicans to expand and extend 2017 tax cuts.

Kelli Dunaway, the outgoing 2nd District St. Louis County Councilwoman, talks to Rachel Lippmann about her five years on the legislative body.

Missouri Democrats had yet another disappointing election cycle in 2024. And on the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan talks about how the party is trying to rebuild over the next few years. We also talk with officials from PROMO about how the Missouri Department of Revenue made it more difficult to change a gender marker on a driver's license.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep.-elect Colin Wellenkamp speaks with St. Louis Public Radio about his expectations for the 2025 session including pushing for a boost in teacher pay.

Wellenkamp is a Republican who was elected to represent Missouri’s 105th House District, which takes in most of the city of St. Charles. He will take office in early January.

Missouri House Representative-elect Elizabeth Fuchs joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about why she decided to run for the House, her desire for loud and unapologetic queer leadership in Missouri and her thoughts on issues lawmakers may address next session.

Missouri state Rep.-elect Nick Kimble didn’t have to go through an arduous primary or general election to get to Jefferson City.

The St. Louis Democrat ran unopposed in the primary to succeed state Rep. Donna Baringer in Missouri’s 82nd House District, which takes in a southwest portion of the city. That basically sealed Kimble’s election since the district is heavily Democratic.

But as Kimble noted on a recent episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, the 82nd District features perhaps the largest concentration of Republicans in the city of St. Louis. And that gives him a different perspective on how to represent the area in Jefferson City.

“Growing up in the district, I knew a lot of those Republicans,” Kimble said. “I went to school with them. I was friends with their kids, I mowed their lawn, I delivered pizzas. So I think that helps. I consider myself a center left and moderate person. I don't go around to the fish fries or various things on the Hill in South City talking about partisan issues or partisan politics.”

We get this question a lot: Why do Missourians vote for progressive ballot items and Republican candidates? On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we talk with political consultant and split ticket voters themselves to try and get a straight answer. STLPR's Rachel Lippmann joins the show to talk about squabbles over the St. Louis Rams settlement and we also dive into a proposal for publicly financing St. Louis County elections.

It would be an immense understatement to say that St. Louis Public Schools encountered profound challenges in the past few months.

Not only has the district faced struggles providing transportation for students, but the Board of Education recently fired its superintendent. And members of that seven-person board are also eying potential school closures and difficulties recruiting and retaining special education personnel.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Board of Education members Toni Cousins and Matt Davis provide an in-depth look at St. Louis Public Schools’ challenges — and why political leaders need to be engaged to help mitigate them.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with UMSL's Anita Manion about the 2024 election results in Missouri. GOP candidates won up and down the ballot. But abortion rights backers won a seismic victory with the passage of Amendment 3. Also joining the program is STLPR's Sarah Kellogg, Rachel Lippmann and Will Bauer.