Politically Speaking

On this week's episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with veteran political journalist Jo Mannies about the history of presidential debates at Washington University. Rosenbaum also talked about the upcoming presidential election with four students at MICDS. And Rosenbaum welcomes historian Cassandra Good onto the program to talk about the history of nepotism in American politics.

State Rep. Barbara Phifer declined to run for another term in the Missouri House, even though she was eligible to spend four more years in the General Assembly’s lower chamber.

But the Kirkwood Democrat chose instead to run for secretary of state. While the race for that office typically doesn’t get as much attention as the U.S. Senate or governor, Phifer said the stakes are high enough for her to throw her hat into the statewide electoral arena.

“This is the single most important statewide race in Missouri this year, and I could see that a year and a half ago,” Phifer said on an episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking. “And so I told my husband, even as I was planning to retire: ‘Honey, you just need to know that if we don't have somebody on the Democratic side with experience who's running for secretary of state, I'm going to do that.”

Mark Osmack has been out of the electoral fray for awhile, but he never completely abandoned his passion for Missouri politics.

Osmack, a Valley Park native and U.S. Army veteran, previously ran for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District seat and for state Senate. During an episode of Politically Speaking, Osmack received a phone call from Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan asking him to run for state treasurer.

“There's a lot of decision making and processing and evaluation that goes into it, which is something I am very passionate and interested in,” Osmack said.

Osmack is squaring off against state Treasurer Vivek Malek, who was able to easily win a crowded GOP primary against several veteran lawmakers — including House Chairman Cody Smith and Sen. Andrew Koenig.

Elad Gross, the Democratic candidate for Missouri Attorney General, is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. Gross, who ran for Attorney General back in 2020, spoke to St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about why he decided to run again and how he believes the office can serve Missourians.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks to Missouri AFL-CIO President Jake Hummel about labor unions are approaching the general election cycle. Rosenbaum also talks with SLU political science professor Christopher Duncan about third party candidate in Missouri and American politics. And Rosenbaum expresses his immense frustration about political text messages.

Missouri's U.S. Senate race between Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and Democrat Lucas Kunce will likely be the most high-profile contest on the state's Nov. 5 ballot. But there is another candidate seeking the office: Better Party contender Jared Young. The Webb City resident talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum about why he believes a candidate who isn't a Republican or Democrat can make an impact in the 2024 election cycle.

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with UMSL's Anita Manion and STLPR's Sarah Kellogg about Tuesday's primary results. Rosenbaum also spoke with Wesley Bell, Mike Kehoe, Crystal Quade and Bob Onder about their big wins — and what they could mean for Missouri politics.

On August 6, Missourians will go to the polls to decide some of the most important primary elections in recent memory. On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Sarah Kellogg and Jo Mannies about the big things to look for when the results come in on Tuesday. Rosenbaum also talks with Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Mike Hamra about his primary campaign.

The latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air features Democrat Lucas Kunce explaining why he should take on GOP Sen. Josh Hawley in the fall. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum also talks with former state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal about her bid for Missouri's 1st Congressional District.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Sen. Jason Bean joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to discuss Gov. Mike Parson’s budget vetoes — and the future of the Missouri Senate.

Bean represents Missouri’s 25th Senatorial District, which includes Stoddard, Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Oregon, Mississippi, Butler, Wayne and Carter Counties. The Holcomb Republican was elected to his post in 2020.