Archive for May 2021

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum on the latest episode of Politically Speaking about why he wants a special session for election administration legislation.

The GOP official said he was disappointed lawmakers didn’t resuscitate Missouri’s government-issued photo identification requirement to vote. A judge struck down a key portion of that requirement, and lawmakers would have to pass a bill to effectively make the photo ID mandate active again.

Ashcroft also wants legislators to place a proposal on the 2022 ballot raising the threshold to pass a constitutional amendment from a simple majority to two-thirds. That idea is a priority for some GOP legislators but also has opposition from both sides of the political spectrum.

Here’s what else Ashcroft discussed on the show:

• Why he wants some of the election-related proposals passed this year instead of next year.
• Whether Missouri will have to move its filing date back in case state legislative redistricting maps aren’t completed until 2022. That process is facing a tight timeframe because of delays in delivering census data that’s critical for drawing maps.
• Whether Missouri should adopt runoffs for statewide and congressional contests. He also responded to criticism that those proposals are specifically aimed at depriving former Gov. Eric Greitens the U.S. Senate Republican nomination.
• How his office handled the COVID-19 pandemic and whether a CDC announcement that vaccinated people don’t have to wear masks except under certain circumstances affects the debate over returning to in-person work.

Before earning his law degree, Ashcroft worked as an engineer after receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

He first ran for office in 2014, when he lost to Democrat Jill Schupp in the 24th Senate District race. He came back two years later and won a competitive GOP primary before defeating Robin Smith by a wide margin to become secretary of state. Last year, he defeated Democrat Yinka Faleti by a landslide even though he was outspent.

Ashcroft recently declined to run for next year’s U.S. Senate contest but is widely seen as a gubernatorial contender in 2024, once Gov. Mike Parson departs because of term limits.

Ashcroft is the son of John Ashcroft, who is the only Missouri Republican ever elected to two consecutive gubernatorial terms in office, and who also served as a U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jay Ashcroft on Twitter: @jayashcroftmo

State Sen. Lauren Arthur returns to Politically Speaking to talk with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about the final week of the 2021 legislative session.

Arthur is a Democrat who represents a portion of Clay County. She won a special election in 2018, bringing a historically Republican seat into the Democratic column. Arthur won election to a full term in 2020 and will get to serve through the end of 2024, when term limits will prevent her from running again.

Here’s what Arthur talked about on the program:

• Why Senate Democrats did not end up filibustering legislation establishing a tax credit program for contributors to nonprofits that provide educational assistance. The bill has been a longstanding priority of some Republicans who want to provide a pathway for students to go to either better public schools or private schools.
• How Democrats may fight election legislation that includes a government-issued photo identification requirement to vote.
• Whether lawmakers will be back in Jefferson City for Medicaid expansion. One possible scenario is that if Gov. Mike Parson allows people in the expansion population to apply and receive services, Medicaid could run out of money — and require the legislature to pass a supplemental appropriations bill to keep the program afloat.
• A special session that will take place later this year in which Missouri lawmakers will consider and pass a congressional redistricting map.

Arthur is a native of the so-called “Northland,” the part of Kansas City that’s north of downtown. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in history and worked as a teacher and in the advertising industry.

In 2014, Arthur won election to the Missouri House representing a portion of Clay County. After Sen. Ryan Silvey was appointed to the Missouri Public Service Commission in 2018, Arthur won the special election to replace him.

Many see Arthur as a potential candidate for statewide office once she leaves the Senate after 2024.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Lauren Arthur on Twitter: @LaurenArthurMO

Sen. Paul Wieland returns to Politically Speaking to talk with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about some of the big policy fights of the 2021 legislative session.

Wieland represents Missouri’s 22nd District, which takes in a portion of Jefferson County. He was first elected in 2014 after serving in the Missouri House and reelected in 2018. Wieland is one of the few Missouri lawmakers who served in the General Assembly when Democrats controlled the legislature, as he represented a Jefferson County-based House district in the 1990s.

Here’s what Wieland talked about on the podcast:

• His bid to have Missouri’s Medicaid program not pay for certain birth control products. He has sought to place that amendment onto legislation authorizing a tax that hospitals pay to help get federal money for Medicaid.
• His opposition to Todd Graves’ appointment to the University of Missouri System Board of Curators. Graves, a former U.S. attorney and Missouri Republican Party chairman, was eventually confirmed after a long filibuster.
• Gov. Mike Parson’s relationship with the General Assembly. Parson entered office with high hopes of improving the relationship between the executive and legislative branches. But there’s been some high-profile spats over the past year, including a blowup over the venue for the governor’s State of the State speech.
• The potential scenarios that could go forward now that the legislature decided against funding Medicaid expansion.

Wieland has a long history in Jefferson County politics. He was elected to the House in 1994, but lost reelection two years later. After more than a decade out of state politics, Wieland made a comeback in 2010 when he defeated Rep. Jeff Roorda to represent a northern part of the county in the House.

Four years later, Roorda and Wieland squared off in a bid for the 22nd District seat. It was one of the most expensive contests of 2014 with Wieland, who spent more than $900,000, winning by more than 3,400 votes.

Since entering the Senate, Wieland has voted against some curbs on organized labor — including a high-profile bid to bar unions and employers from requiring workers to pay dues. He’s also emerged as an opponent of abortion rights and part of a group of GOP lawmakers who oppose the death penalty.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Paul Wieland on Twitter: @WielandNow