St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. She joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann to talk about the November general election and long-term solutions to crime. It’s the first time the Democrat has had a Republican opponent for circuit attorney. You can find the podcast with her challenger, Daniel Zdrodowski, here.

Here’s what Gardner discussed on the show:

• How her plans for the office, which focus on addressing the causes of crime like poverty and trauma, will make a city reeling from nearly 200 homicides safer in the short term. “Most violent cases in the city of St. Louis are unsolved because of two things: lack of victim and witness participation, and lack of evidence,” Gardner said. “These programs I’m talking about build trust and confidence in the system to make people come forward.”
• What she would have wanted to see addressed in a legislative special session in violent crime. Lawmakers eliminated the residency requirement for St. Louis first responders and passed an unfunded witness protection fund. Gardner says they should have approved new gun restrictions and boosted funding for social services.
• That she expects to get as much, or more, national attention than she did during the August primary. “Reform-minded prosecutors like myself are under attack by many federal actors, as we see, led by President Donald Trump and many other people who want to political pander their failed leadership to deal with this COVID-19 crisis,” she said.

Gardner beat her Democratic opponent, Mary Pat Carl, 61% to 39% in August.

Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann

Follow Kim Gardner on Twitter: @StLouisCityCA

Music: “Unstoppable,” by Koryn Hawthorne, featuring Lecrae