State Rep. Mark Matthiesen is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked about his priorities in the Missouri House.

Matthiesen represents a portion of St. Charles County. He was first elected to represent Missouri’s 107th District in 2022 and previously served two years in the House between 2017 and 2019.

Here’s what Matthiesen talked about on the program:

• How he got involved in Missouri politics and how his experience in the hospitality industry informed his philosophy around government and politics.
• Why he became so energized over radioactive waste exposure in the St. Louis region. And he explained what he’s trying to do as a state legislator to provide more testing.
• Discussions among some lawmakers to eliminate or reduce personal property taxes on vehicles.
• The GOP primary for governor and what sort of factors could provide an advantage for Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel.

Matthiesen successfully ran for the Missouri House in 2016, and represented a district that includes portions of St. Louis and St. Charles counties. The district was one of the most competitive in the state, and was split relatively evenly between the two parties.
In 2018, Matthiesen narrowly lost reelection to state Rep. Paula Brown. Now that Brown and Matthiesen serve together at the same time, they have been complimentary of each other.

Matthiesen ultimately moved to St. Charles County and ran for the open 107th District last year. That district is much more Republican-leaning than his old district, and winning the primary for that seat is essentially tantamount to election.