Archive for June 2022

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler is banking on big-name endorsements, fundraising and conservative positions to win the Aug. 2 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.

During an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, Hartzler said she has the experience both in life and in politics to stand out from the pack. That includes working as a teacher, a farmer, a small-business owner and a member of Congress representing the state’s sprawling 4th Congressional District.

“I’m also a wife and a mom and a fighter in Washington who has a track record of getting things done,” Hartzler said. “And that’s what we need right now. We’re facing multiple crises in our nation: An economic crisis. A border crisis. An energy crisis. A national security crisis. A moral crisis. And these are the things that I have a track record of fighting and passing legislation on on behalf of Missourians.”

Since jumping into the U.S. Senate race last year, Hartzler has been near the top tier of fundraisers and public polling. She’s received key endorsements from agriculture groups like the Missouri Farm Bureau PAC, former elected officials such as Kit Bond and, most notably, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.

Some of Hartzler’s detractors, including Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Billy Long, say this coalescence of support shows how Missouri’s establishment is trying to rally around Hartzler as an alternative to Greitens. Hartzler dismissed that contention.

“These are leaders in Missouri who’ve actually got things done and care about Missourians,” Hartzler said. “And certainly, I don’t think anybody could call Josh Hawley establishment. He’s been in there and making waves, but standing up for Missouri.”

Hartzler generated attention earlier this year when she released her first ad criticizing transgender girls playing girls sports. When asked if that position was alienating voters who support LGBTQ rights, Hartzler said: “It’s something that is emblematic of the shift in our culture that is frustrating so many Missourians right now. It’s the lack of common sense all in the name of political wokeness.”

She also gained attention when she said she wouldn’t support Greitens, who has led in most public opinion polls, if he won the nomination.

“I’m running to defeat Eric Greitens so we don’t have that problem,” Hartzler said. “There is a concern that if he wins the primary, we could lose the state. And that would be devastating, because we really do need to take back the majority in the Senate.”

Backs ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

Hartzler supports the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Because of that ruling, Missouri banned abortion under most circumstances, including in cases of rape or incest. Hartzler said she supports the new law in Missouri.

“I’m for life,” Hartzler said. “And every life is precious no matter how that child was conceived. It deserves to live and it doesn’t deserve to die. That’s the reality of abortion.”

“It is a life that can contribute to society, maybe find a cure for Alzheimers or who knows?” she added.

But Hartzler doesn’t see the end of Roe as a precursor to curtail access to contraception or to reverse legalization of same-sex marriage.

“People are just focused on life, and that’s what Roe v. Wade was talking about,” she said.

As for the ruling’s impact on the upcoming election, Hartzler said it was possible that overturning Roe could motivate voters on both sides of the issue. She said the main impact of the ruling was that it gave back “the decision on abortion to the elected representatives.”

“And that’s where it belongs,” Hartzler said.

No on ‘red flag’ gun laws

Last week, President Joe Biden signed legislation that was crafted in response to mass shootings in New York, Texas and elsewhere. Among other things, it provides money to states with so-called red flag laws — which seek to take away guns from people who are a danger to themselves or others. It also directs money to help mental health programs around the country.

Hartzler voted against the legislation, primarily because she does not support red flag laws.

“The thing that caused me to ultimately vote no is because I thought the red flag provisions do violate our constitutional rights,” Hartzler said. “As well as the 18- to 21-year-old extra scrutiny for them, it’s just disparate from other ages. I think it’s discriminatory toward them. When you’re talking about taking away somebody’s right, I think it meets a high bar you have to pass constitutionally. And it didn’t do that.”

With her no vote, Hartzler voted differently than the person she’s running to succeed in the Senate — Roy Blunt. He worked on expanding community health centers with Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Hartzler, though, said while those provisions are laudable, they aren’t enough for her to support the legislation.

Reducing government spending

With inflation a big concern among voters, Hartzler said she would support reducing federal governmental spending.

She criticized the American Rescue Plan Act, which, among other things, provided stimulus checks to taxpayers and financial relief to state and local governments. And she also voted against legislation pumping in more money for infrastructure, like roads and public transit.

“We need to quit spending money,” Hartzler said. “Secondly, we need to address the supply chain issue. Because the definition of inflation is too many dollars chasing too few goods. So it’s been a double whammy.”

Increased energy production

Hartzler supports issuing more permits for energy production throughout the country. She criticized Biden for pulling the plug on the Keystone XL pipeline, though that project wouldn’t have been completed yet.

“Why would we shut that off and turn to other countries that don’t even share our values?” Hartzler said.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg 

Follow Vicky Hartzler: @RepHartzler

If Missouri GOP voters select U.S. Rep. Billy Long as their Senate nominee, he’s promising a minimum amount of drama in the November election.

That’s part of the sales pitch the 7th District congressman from Springfield is giving Missourians in the Aug. 2 primary. Long said he has the voting record and the ties to former President Donald Trump to make conservatives proud.

“I think I’m the one who can win this race in the general election without a lot of big pushback from the Democrats,” Long said on an episode of Politically Speaking. “I think if we elect Eric Greitens, the party has told us we’ll have to spend $40 million to $50 million trying to drag him across the finish line.”

Long’s reference to the former Missouri governor revolves around how he’s evoked controversy for a host of reasons — including his personal conduct and how he’s dealt with his campaign finances. Greitens recently sparked a firestorm with a “RINO hunting” ad that Long finds distasteful.

“If you want to beat RINOs, you beat them at the ballot box. To say that you’re going to go hunting RINOs is beyond the pale in my opinion,” Long said. “But like I said, this is politics 2022 style. And all the earned media is great whether they’re saying good things or bad things about you, I suppose.”

Greitens has said the ad is a metaphor for how he’ll fight against members of his own party if they don’t showcase a commitment to conservative policies.

On the campaign trail, Long has stressed his early support for Trump’s 2016 campaign — noting that he was for the former president when many of his Republican contemporaries were backing other candidates. He doesn’t know if Trump will endorse anyone in the Missouri Senate contest.

Long has made the argument that other major candidates in the race — U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler and Attorney General Eric Schmitt — don’t have conservative credentials, even if they have more money in the bank than he does.

“Schmitt and Hartzler have all the money in the world, all these big donors behind them and all these huge people, and they have not been able to break out in this race,” Long said. “They’re both stuck down in the polls.”

Slams Capitol riot hearings

Like other GOP candidates in the Senate race, Long has been critical of a House committee conducting public hearings into the insurrection that occurred in January 2021. He said the committee is stacked against Republicans, adding it was unfair for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bounce two GOP choices, U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks, from the committee.

Currently, Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger serve on the committee.

“The only Republicans they wanted to put on, they booted off,” Long said. “They picked two Trump-hating Republicans to put on there. So I have a lot of issues with the committee and how it was set up. We’ve got all sorts of problems in this country without having a sham committee.”

Long voted against certifying Arizona and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes but noted that he attended President Joe Biden’s inauguration and added that the Democrat won the election.

But Long said he has issues with how the 2020 election was conducted, namely that there was an expansion of absentee and early voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These election laws, which as you know are supposed to be determined by the representatives in those states … several states didn’t do that. They let the courts and elected officials do that on their own,” Long said. “And so if there’s a question about how he won, if it wasn’t for COVID Trump would have still been elected.”

Not a fan of gas tax holiday

Long has been critical of almost all of Biden’s policies, including a recent proposal to suspend the federal gas tax as a way to provide relief for consumers dealing with high gas prices.

He said such a move “is putting a Band-Aid on the problem.”

“The whole thing behind this is as clear as the nose on your face,” Long said. “The day that Biden got sworn in, he immediately stopped the Keystone XL pipeline.”

Had Biden not axed the pipeline, it likely wouldn’t have been completed until 2023 at the earliest. Asked whether that project would have had any effect on gas prices now, Long said: “Well, it would have helped in 2023. If there’s word coming that there’s going to be more oil and everything, the price goes down.”

‘No’ on Ukraine funding and bipartisan gun bill

Long said he will not be voting for bipartisan legislation that, among other things, increases funding for mental health services and provides money to states with so-called red flag laws that seek to disarm people who are a danger to themselves or others.

He said the red flag law provision is particularly concerning, adding that “people in Missouri are very, very concerned about losing our Second Amendment rights.” The legislation would not require Missouri to adopt red flag laws.

“My biggest problem with one of these red flag laws is I always see the face of one of my colleagues that went through a horrendous divorce and an abusive situation several years ago,” Long said. “And any time red flag laws are brought up, she claims that they could have taken her gun away from her at that point — which was the only thing that kept her from meeting her demise.”

Long suggested that some of the ideas in the legislation should have been passed in individual bills.

“Why didn’t they put this in pieces where we could vote for some of it and pass some of it instead of putting in a third rail for most people in Missouri?” Long said.

Long also explained why he voted against a $40 billion aid package to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. He asked, “How far would $40 billion have gone in this country to fortify our schools to protect our schoolchildren or finish the (Mexican border) wall?”

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg 

Follow Billy Long on Twitter: @auctnr1

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Ray Reed talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum about his bid to capture the Democratic nomination for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District seat.

The 25-year-old Reed is running against state Rep. Trish Gunby, D-St. Louis County, in the Aug. 2 election. Whoever wins that primary could face off against Congresswoman Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, who has served in Congress since 2013.

Gunby’s episode of Politically Speaking was posted last week. You can listen to it by clicking here.

Here’s what the candidate had to say during the show:

• Reed doesn’t believe that Democrats should give up on competing in the 2nd District because the legislature added Franklin and Warren Counties. “A lot of those folks out there in Franklin County, Warren County, the rural areas of the district — they feel hardly reached, they’re not hard to reach,” he said.
• It’s imperative, he said, that lawmakers get serious about regulating firearms, especially after a gunman killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Reed said he has a specific message to young people in school: “You deserve not to be shot in school. I’m sorry that a lot of elected officials want to do absolutely nothing. But I won’t stand on the side while 19 kids are being gunned down in a classroom.”
• Like Gunby, Reed is supportive of continuing to provide financial assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
• He supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law, which would mean that abortion would be legal in every state if that 1973 decision is overturned. The Supreme Court could upend Roe in the coming weeks.

Reed is from Brentwood and currently resides in Chesterfield. He previously worked for Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s policy team and for the Missouri Democratic Party. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

The Democratic primary for the 2nd District contest previously was a three-way race, but it became a race between Reed and Gunby after Ben Samuels announced his withdrawal earlier this spring.

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum 

Follow Ray Reed on Twitter: @RayReedMO

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep. Trish Gunby lays out her views on hot-button issues that could influence Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District contest.

Gunby was first elected to her state House seat in 2019 but decided to forgo a bid for another term and instead run for Congress. She is facing off against Ray Reed in the Democratic primary. GOP Congresswoman Ann Wagner is competing with several GOP candidates in her bid for another term.

Reed recorded an episode of Politically Speaking that will be released next week. Here’s what Gunby had to say during the show:

• Gunby believes that the 2nd District is still winnable for Democrats, even though Republicans added Franklin and Warren counties. Both of those places are historically Republican, but Gunby notes that she’s won over voters in parts of St. Louis County that typically elected GOP lawmakers.
• If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, Gunby is in favor of passing a federal law guaranteeing a right to an abortion in every state. Missouri would ban most abortions except for medical emergencies if the Supreme Court overturns Roe.
• Gunby said she is in favor of so-called “red flag” laws, which would set up a legal process to remove firearms from people who are dangers to themselves or others. She also would like to see background checks expanded and the availability of AR-15s limited.
• She is in favor of continuing to provide military and humanitarian support to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.

Before being elected to the 99th House District seat in 2019, Gunby was a marketing professional for Citicorp and Purina. In addition to being involved with the St. Louis Area Voting Protection Coalition, she served as the social justice coordinator with Manchester United Methodist Church.

She won a special election in 2019, defeating Republican Lee Ann Pittman. She ended up narrowly defeating Pittman in a 2020 rematch.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum 

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Trish Gunby on Twitter: @TrishForMO

Mark McCloskey is trying to leverage the nationwide attention he and his wife received in 2020 into a successful campaign for a Missouri U.S. Senate seat.

But whether that actually happens, McCloskey said, depends on whether GOP voters can connect the dots. He pointed to the results of a recent poll that he contends signals that he could prevail in a crowded primary.

“And when they ask the question ‘who are you going to vote for,’ I poll fairly low,” McCloskey said. “If you learn that this guy Mark McCloskey running for Senate is the pink shirt guy at the front of his porch with an AR-15, I’m in a dead heat for the lead.”

What McCloskey is referring to is a 2020 incident in which he and his wife, Patty, were photographed outside their Central West End home brandishing guns while people protesting then-Mayor Lyda Krewson walked by their house. It was a moment that made the McCloskeys popular in GOP circles but villains among more liberal-minded people.

McCloskey said that he and his wife went to campaign for then-President Donald Trump in 2020. And eventually, people started asking him if he’d be interested in running for the U.S. Senate after Sen. Roy Blunt decided not to run for a third term.

“We found this to be a developing calling — that it was something that was placed before us that we had to do,” McCloskey said.

Some of the people who walked by McCloskey’s house in 2020 have strongly disputed the idea that they were targeting the two attorneys’ property or lives — but were instead taking a shortcut to Krewson’s house. When asked about that contention, McCloskey said: “We are in a gated community that is all private property. Every inch inside my gate is as private as your living room.

“As much as the mainstream media likes to report it as ‘peaceful social justice warriors,’ walking by my house on the way to the mayor’s house, that’s a nice phrase — but it’s complete B.S.,” he said.

Asked if he and his wife didn’t engage in safe or responsible use of guns, McCloskey said: “I never put my finger inside the trigger area.

“I never pointed that rifle at anybody. I held it in the up, ready position the entire time,” he said. “Now my wife, who was less familiar with firearms, found the more effective manner was to display a little more aggressive weaponry. It held the mob off. That’s the purpose of the 2nd Amendment … it was an effective deterrent.”

Ultimately, the McCloskeys pleaded guilty and paid relatively small fines. They also have to perform community service. Both received pardons from Gov. Mike Parson.

Special prosecutor Richard Callahan said that McCloskey “purposefully placed other persons in apprehension of physical injury.”

“I laughed out loud and said ‘hell yes I did! That’s what the guns were for, right?” McCloskey said. “If that’s a crime in Missouri, I did it. I can’t deny it. I’d do it again.”

Opposed to gun control measures

On the broader issue, McCloskey is not in favor of placing further restrictions on firearms — adding that there are already laws in place that are meant to prevent misuse of guns.

He also opposes expanding background checks or embracing a so-called red flag law that would create a legal process to disarm people who are threats to themselves or others. He fears that type of law could be abused to take away guns from people who have done nothing wrong.

“All of them I’ve seen, first of all, have the power of the state or your ex-wife or your ex-girlfriend or your ex-boyfriend to report you as a danger to yourself or others,” McCloskey said. “Once the government takes your weapons and once the government deprives you of your rights, it is very, very difficult to retrieve them.”

McCloskey also is not enthused about proposals that require someone to be at least 21 in order to purchase a gun. He said if people are allowed to vote when they’re 18, they should be able to procure a firearm.

“How can the same people who say you’re competent to vote for president at the age of 18 say you’re not competent to own a weapon?” McCloskey said. “Because your vote is a more potent weapon potentially than anything that projects lead into the atmosphere.”

Back abortion bans — even in cases or rape or incest

McCloskey also emphasized on the program that he’s strongly opposed to abortion rights and would like to see the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. If that happens, Missouri would ban most abortions, with the exception of medical emergencies.

He said he supports Missouri’s measure, which would take effect if Roe v. Wade is thrown out, not including exceptions for rape or incest.

“From the moment of conception, God gives us a soul,” McCloskey said. “And from that moment, we’ve got a right to live out that life for our full potential.”

He doesn’t believe that lack of exceptions in Missouri’s law for people who become pregnant because of rape or incest would be a bridge too far for voters — even Missourians who personally feel that abortion is wrong.

“The goal of people on my side of the fence is making people know that all overturning Roe v. Wade will return the right of self-control to the states on that issue,” McCloskey said. “We have a democracy or democratic republic in this country where if you don’t like the policies in your state, you can vote out the people that vote for them and vote in people you like. And that’s the way it ought to be.”

That’s a no on $40 billion Ukraine aid package

In some respects, Missouri Republicans have been split on whether to support a $40 billion military and humanitarian aid package that passed through Congress recently. Blunt was a supporter, while U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., voted against it.

Asked if he would have backed that plan that President Joe Biden signed into law, McCloskey replied: “Hell no.” He said that Congress should focus on issues that are closer to home, such as honing in on the nation’s immigration policies.

He contended that Ukraine under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a questionable record on human rights and press freedom. McCloskey also said that NATO is a relic against an “enemy that no longer exists” and adds that China is a more serious adversary to American interests.

“This is not a severe threat to our nation,” McCloskey said. “[Russia] would, however, be a good ally against China. It would be easily manipulatable to make the Russians our allies against China, rather than making Russia China’s ally against us.”

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum 

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Mark McCloskey on Twitter: @mccloskeyusa