U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s decision to vote against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court is a key topic of the latest Politically Speaking podcast.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies look into how undisclosed political money is playing into the contest between McCaskill and GOP Attorney Josh Hawley. It comes as millions of 501(c)(4) cash is going to support Hawley’s bid — and to ensure McCaskill wins a second term.

East Central College hosted a candidate forum on Thursday night featuring numerous contenders for local, state and federal offices.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum moderated the event, which featured questions on pressing public policy issues — as well as ballot initiatives that voters will consider on the Nov. 6 election.

The candidates that Rosenbaum questioned include:

• State Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and Democrat John Kiehne, who are running for the 26th District Senate seat.
• Democrat Katy Geppart, who is running for Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District seat.
• Constitution Party candidate Jacob Luetkemeyer, a contender for Missouri state auditor.
• Republican Aaron Griesheimer and Democrat Pamela Menefee, who are running for the 61st District House seat.
• Republican John Simmons and Democrat James Cordrey, the candidates for the 109th District House seat.
• Republican Dottie Bailey, the GOP nominee for the 110th District House seat.
• Democrat Marcie Nichols, who is running for the 119th District House seat.

Conservative writer Jonah Goldberg is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. He joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about his new book Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy.

Goldberg is a syndicated columnist and a senior editor for National Review. He was intimately involved in the start of National Review Online, one of the most enduring political sites devoted to conservative politics.

Goldberg was in St. Louis this week for a Show-Me Institute event at Washington University Law School.

Former U.S. Sen. Jim Talent joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies on the latest episode of Politically Speaking. The Republican served in various federal and state capacities for more than 20 years.

While Talent is no longer a candidate himself, he is leading the charge against a constitutional amendment known as Clean Missouri.

Talent is a St. Louis County native who has served in the Missouri House, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. He lost to U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2006. While many Missouri Republicans have wanted Talent to run again for statewide office since then, he has stayed out of the electoral fray — and instead became an expert on defense and national security policy.

You can listen to a past episode of Politically Speaking with Clean Missouri proponents by clicking here.

St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies detail Friday's Missouri Press Association Forum. It featured U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and Attorney General Josh Hawley.

The journoduo also took a closer look at the state auditor's contest between incumbent Democrat Nicole Galloway and Republican Saundra McDowell.

Cort VanOstran joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about his Democratic bid in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District.

VanOstran is squaring off against Republican Congresswoman Ann Wagner, a Ballwin Republican who has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2013. The district includes parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

Brendan Kelly, the Democratic candidate in the 12th Congressional District, talked extensively with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his decision to enter the highly-competitive congressional contest.

Kelly is squaring off against Congressman Mike Bost, who became one of the first Republicans to represent the 12th District in generations. The Bost-Kelly contest is expected to be one of the most competitive congressional races in the nation this year.

This week's episode of Politically Speaking takes a look at next week's special session of the Missouri General Assembly. Gov. Mike Parson called lawmakers back to work to pass bills aimed at expanding STEM education and drug courts.

It comes as Missouri's election season is in full swing. One of the items that voters will decide on later this year is a gas tax increase. St. Louis Public Radio's Marshall Griffin joins Jason Rosenbaum to break down the issue.

Sen. Bob Onder joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann to talk about Gov. Mike Parson’s transition in the state’s chief executive office — and what the legislature could deal with in 2019.

The Lake Saint Louis Republican represents a portion of St. Charles County. He’s running for re-election against Democrat Patrice Billings.

Because Mike Kehoe became lieutenant governor, Onder will serve as the floor leader during next week’s special session. Parson wants the legislature to revamp two bills he vetoed dealing with STEM education and expanding drug courts.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann round of some of the week’s biggest developments in the 2018 elections.

One of the topics Rosenbaum and Lippmann take a look at this week is President Donald Trump’s aluminum and steel tariffs — and how they may affect Missouri’s U.S. Senate contest.

And in our weekly election analysis feature, Lippmann and Rosenbaum take a closer look at Proposition B — which would raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2023. This push to raise the wage floor took hold recently in St. Louis and Kansas City — and may have a good chance of passing statewide if organized opposition doesn’t emerged before November.