Archive for August 2022

Democratic state auditor nominee Alan Green is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he discussed his campaign with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg.

Green served as a member of the state House from 2014 through the beginning of 2021. He is squaring off against state Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick in November. Fitzpatrick plans to appear on an episode of Politically Speaking at a later date.

The winner of the Green-Fitzpatrick contest will succeed state Auditor Nicole Galloway, who declined to run for reelection. Here’s what Green talked about on the program:

• Why he’s qualified to serve as state auditor. In addition to his tenure in the Missouri House, Green has extensive experience in state and St. Louis County government.
• Why it’s important to have a Democratic state auditor examine a state government that’s largely run by Republicans.
• The challenges of running for statewide office in Missouri as a Black candidate. If he wins, Green would be the first person of color elected to statewide office in Missouri.
• Whether his vast fundraising deficit with Fitzpatrick will make it difficult for him to prevail — especially if the November election tilts toward the GOP.

Green represented Missouri’s 67th District from 2014 to 2021. He won a special election in 2014 to represent the district that includes places like Florissant, Spanish Lake and Old Jamestown. During that time, Green was the chairman of the Missouri Black Caucus.

Green ran unsuccessfully in 2020 in the 13th Senate District, which takes in portions of north St. Louis County. He came in third place behind state Rep. Tommie Pierson Jr. and eventual winner Angela Mosley.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum 

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Alan Green on Twitter: @alangreenmo

Missouri lawmakers are set to reconvene on Sept. 6 for a special session centered on taxes at the request of Gov. Mike Parson. The governor wants the legislature to pass one bill containing both a permanent income tax cut and a series of agricultural tax credits.

But just because Parson has called a special session, that doesn’t mean his goals will be accomplished.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, current vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the passage of both of those measures could be a heavy lift, especially since lawmakers passed versions of both this past session before Parson vetoed them.

Hough joined the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about the upcoming special session, the Missouri Senate and the 2022 election cycle.

Here are some of the things Hough talked about on the show:

• What he would like the income-tax language to look like. Hough said it’s easy to say the state should cut income taxes now when Missouri has an unprecedented surplus, but he’s concerned about what happens when the state isn’t receiving billions in federal funding.
• The agriculture tax credits, which the legislature did pass this year, but with a shorter expiration date than Parson wants. Hough said the longer sunset of six years as opposed to two will be more difficult to find consensus on with lawmakers.
• How he feels Eric Schmitt will fare in the November U.S. Senate election, as well as his feelings on independent candidate John Wood dropping out of the race.
• Whether or not he believes the dissolution of the Conservative Caucus will have any impact on the dynamics of the Missouri Senate.

Hough currently represents the 30th District in the Senate, where he was first elected in 2018. He is running for reelection, facing Democrat Raymond Lampert in November.

Before his Senate term, Hough served in the House. He was first elected there in 2010 and served three terms.

Hough is a graduate of Missouri State University with a bachelor’s in political science. He owns and operates a cattle ranch.

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Lincoln Hough on Twitter : @lincolnhough

Democrat John Kiehne is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about his bid for the 26th Senate District.

Kiehne is seeking to represent a district that includes a small part of St. Louis County and all of Franklin, Osage, Gasconade and Warren counties. He ran in 2018, losing decisively to Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz. Republican Ben Brown won the GOP contest to succeed Schatz, who cannot run for reelection because of term limits.

You can listen to Brown’s episode of Politically Speaking by clicking here.

Here’s what Kiehne talked about on the show:

• Why he decided to start running for office as a Democrat. Kiehne encountered a number of issues as a foster parent and through the health care system that made him more conscious of state politics.
• Why it’s important for Democrats to run in places like the 26th Senate District, which is historically a Republican stronghold. “We have to invest time, energy, money year after year, cycle after cycle,” he said. “There is no off day. There’s no Sunday. There’s no Friday night for what the Democratic Party needs to do.”
• His opposition to the recently enacted trigger law that banned most abortions in the state. He said he’s in favor of comprehensive sex education and greater availability of contraception.
• His misgivings about an upcoming special session to cut Missouri’s income taxes. Kiehne contended that the move is shortsighted since the state’s budget largesse is largely due to an influx of federal money.

Kiehne is a professional musician by trade who is originally from St. Charles County. In addition to running for the state Senate in 2018, Kiehne ran unsuccessfully for state representative in 2020 — losing to state Rep. Dottie Bailey.

Brown and Kiehne have crossed paths before, but not in the political arena. Kiehne has performed at Satcho’s Bar and Grill, a restaurant in Chesterfield that Brown owns.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow John Kiehne on Twitter: @JohnKiehneForMo

Ben Brown is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where the Washington native talked about his win in the Republican primary for the 26th Senate District.

Brown beat four other GOP candidates in the race to represent a seat that includes part of St. Louis County and all of Franklin, Osage, Warren and Gasconade counties. He will face Democrat John Kiehne in November.

Here’s what Brown, who owns Satchmo’s Bar and Grill in Chesterfield, talked about on the podcast:

• How his advocacy against COVID-19 restrictions drove him to run for office.
• With the announcement that the Conservative Caucus is disbanding, Brown provided his take about how Republicans in the Senate may be able to work more cohesively. 
• He also discussed GOP hopes for the rest of the 2022 election cycle, including making sure that Attorney General Eric Schmitt emerges victorious in the U.S. Senate contest.

Brown is the former chairman of the Franklin County Republican Central Committee. He was also Missouri National Committeeman for the Young Republican National Federation.

Brown came into the public eye in 2020 when he spoke out against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page’s COVID-19 restrictions. He was part of a successful lawsuit that substantially curbed the ability for counties to issue health orders.

In 2021, Brown announced his bid to succeed Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, who was unable to run due to term limits..

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Ben Brown on Twitter: @BenBrownTweets

With the party nominees officially selected for the November election, Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, is one of several candidates who should have an easier time winning in a few months compared to their primary.

Fitzwater, who is the Republican nominee for the 10th Senate District, fended off four other candidates to win with almost 32% of the vote.

Now, with no Democrat in the race, Fitzwater must defeat Libertarian candidate Catherine Dreher in order to begin his career as a state senator in a district that includes a portion of St. Charles County and extends west to near Columbia.

Fitzwater joined the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about his candidacy and goals for the Senate.

Here are some of the things Fitzwater discussed:

• How he won his primary. Polling showed Fitzwater’s chief opponent, Mike Carter, ahead for most of the campaign.
• His thoughts on the future of the Missouri Senate, where a faction of the Republican Party has frequently clashed with Senate leadership.  
• What policies he wants to focus on.
• Gov. Mike Parson’s call for a special session on tax cuts, including a recent meeting on the issue that Fitzwater attended.

Fitzwater currently represents Missouri’s 49th House District, which includes parts of Callaway and Cole counties. He was first elected in 2014 and could no longer run for reelection in the House due to term limits.

Outside of the legislature, Fitzwater has worked in nonprofit management as a marketing coordinator and chief operating officer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, focusing on international relations, from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Travis Fitzwater on Twitter: @travisfitzwater