On a first-of-its-kind episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum answer your questions about Missouri policy and politics.

Kellogg and Rosenbaum solicited queries from various social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and, most successfully, Reddit’s Missouri Politics page. The questions the two reporters tackled include:

• What led to the decline of the Missouri Democratic Party over the past 10 years? It has a lot to do with a collapse in the party’s support in rural and suburban parts of the state. Also, changes to campaign finance law and national voting trends played a role in the disintegration of the party’s coalition.
• What happens in Missouri if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade? A measure the legislature approved in 2019, which is under litigation, would ban all abortions with the exception of medical emergencies if Roe v. Wade is overturned. 
• How will congressional redistricting in Missouri shake out, and is Congressman Emanuel Cleaver vulnerable to being drawn into an unfavorable district? It’s not likely Republicans who control the legislature will create an unwinnable district for Cleaver, but it’s not out of the question that the new 5th District could be less Democratic than it is now — and more competitive in a very strong election cycle for Republicans.
• What issues are out there in Missouri on which Republicans and Democrats work together? The two parties appear to work together on issues that affect children. Democrats and Republicans also came together to pass a prescription drug monitoring program, which was finally approved after years of stops and starts.

This episode also delves into some lesser-discussed aspects of Missouri state government, including how the Conversation Department works — and why the Missouri Senate has superior coffee to the Missouri House’s.

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg 

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum