Politically Speaking

St. Louis Public Radio’s political trio – Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann – did a postmortem of Tuesday’s election results on the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast.

The upshot is that Missouri Republicans did well, and state Democrats have some rebuilding to do.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., was ousted by Republican Josh Hawley, and state Auditor Nicole Galloway barely won, despite a low-budget challenge from Republican Saundra McDowell.

One Democratic bright spot was Cort VanOstran’s strong – but unsuccessful – bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin.

For Missouri Democrats, tomorrow is judgment day.

After leading the Show Me State for most of its existence, voters will decide if the last two Democratic statewide officials remain in their posts. If U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and state Auditor Nicole Galloway prevail, it could provide a jolt for a party seeking to rebound after the disaster of 2016.

But if GOP Attorney General Josh Hawley is able to topple McCaskill, and Saundra McDowell is elected auditor, it could be the surest evidence that once-purple Missouri is now deep red.

Those two races aren’t the only things on the electoral radar. Voters will also decide on several major ballot initiatives — including three on legalizing medical marijuana. And across the river in Illinois, Republicans are on the defensive after Gov. Bruce Rauner’s tumultuous term.

Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about how Democrats are stacking up in next week’s election.

Both Webber and Missouri Republican Party Chairman Todd Graves recorded episodes of Politically Speaking. You can listen to Graves’ episode by clicking here.

Webber is a former state representative from Columbia who was elected in 2016 as party chairman. The 35-year-old took on that role after narrowly losing a state Senate race to Republican Caleb Rowden.

Since becoming chairman, Webber has been traveling all over the state to rebuild the party after the 2016 election. He’s placed an emphasis on fielding more candidates in state legislative races — instead of letting Republicans run unopposed. And he’s also sought to foster a more aggressive get-out-the-vote effort to help U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and state Auditor Nicole Galloway win their elections.

Missouri Republican Party Chairman Todd Graves joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies on the latest edition of Politically Speaking.

Both Graves and Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber taped podcasts giving their perspective on next week’s election, which will have a major impact on the state’s future political trajectory.

Graves is a partner at the Graves Garrett law firm in Kansas City. He became chairman of the Missouri Republican Party after the 2016 election cycle.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies take a deep look at Amendment 1 on the latest edition of Political Speaking.

The measure, widely known as Clean Missouri, combines a host of ethics-related alterations with an overhaul of state legislative redistricting. Out of all the things on the Nov. 6 ballot, Clean Missouri is eliciting the most unusual political alliances.

Proponents include left-of-center activists and groups that helped craft the measure, as well as some prominent Republicans. Backers contend that Clean Missouri will make politics more accessible to people — as opposed to special interests or lobbyists.

Detractors believe that the ethics-related items in Clean Missouri, including curtailing lobbyist gifts and slightly lowering campaign donation limits, are aimed at making the state legislative redistricting changes more palatable to voters. While many of the opponents are Republicans, some African-American officials and groups aren’t supporting Clean Missouri because of fears it will lead to fewer black lawmakers getting elected.

GOP state auditor nominee Saundra McDowell joins the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about her campaign for the statewide office.

McDowell is squaring off against incumbent Democrat Nicole Galloway, who was appointed to her post after Tom Schweich’s death in 2015. You can listen to Galloway’s appearance on the show here.

McDowell is an Oklahoma native and Air Force veteran who received her law degree from Regent University. She worked as an assistant attorney general and as director of enforcement for the securities division under Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway returns to the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about her quest for a full four-year in office.

The Democratic official was appointed to her post in 2015 after the suicide of  Tom Schweich. She’s squaring off against Republican Saundra McDowell in Nov. 6 election. McDowell’s episode of Politically Speaking will be posted on Wednesday afternoon.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies examine Thursday night’s televised debate between U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and Attorney General Josh Hawley.

The debate comes as most polls show a tight race between McCaskill and Hawley. And few observers believe that Democrats have any chance of taking over the Senate if McCaskill can’t win a third term.

Among other things, the candidates debated health care, immigration policy, “right to work” laws, global warming and Second Amendment rights. Hawley contended that McCaskill is too liberal for a state which went for President Donald Trump by 19 points. McCaskill emphasized her independence, someone who will work with “anyone, anytime” to address the state’s needs.

Congresswoman Ann Wagner joins Politically Speaking to talk about her re-election battle against Democrat Cort VanOstran.

The Ballwin Republican represents Missouri's 2nd District, which includes parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties.

Many political prognosticators believe that Democrats have a good chance of retaking the House this year. And if they do, the party may gain the most ground in places like Wagner’s 2nd District — which take in a big portion of the St. Louis suburbs. Wagner contends she’s well positioned to fend off a potential "blue wave."

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies delve into the three medical marijuana initiatives.

Missourians will vote on Amendment 2, Amendment 3 and Proposition C. All three initiatives would make it legal to get marijuana for medical use. But they differ greatly in terms of how much marijuana will be taxed, how the regulatory framework would work, and where the money would go toward.