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Congresswoman Ann Wagner is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The Ballwin Republican talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about her competitive race for re-election against state Sen. Jill Schupp.

Wagner represents Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, which takes in portions of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

Her contest against Schupp is considered one of the more competitive House matchups in the nation, which some political prognosticators signaling the race is a tossup. You can listen to Schupp’s Politically Speaking episode here.

Here’s what Wagner had to say on the show:

• How the 2nd District, which was previously a Republican stronghold, has become much more competitive in the era of President Donald Trump. She also discussed whether Trump’s sagging poll numbers will make her re-election bid against Schupp more difficult.
• While House members do not vote on Supreme Court nominees, Wagner provided her opinion about Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett.
• Stalled efforts to pass a new stimulus bill to deal with the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus. Wagner voted for a number of pieces of legislation that sought to deal with the economic and health care impacts of the virus.
• America’s future involvement in Afghanistan. Wagner’s son Raymond serves in the Army and Wagner is a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Wagner has been a prominent figure in Missouri Republican Party politics for years. She served as chairwoman of the state GOP in the 2000s, and played a major role in Roy Blunt’s successful bid for the Senate in 2010. President George W. Bush appointed Wagner as ambassador to Luxembourg in 2005.

Wagner ultimately took the plunge into electoral politics in 2012 when she ran to succeed Todd Akin as the congresswoman for the 2nd Congressional District. Eight years ago, that district was decidedly Republican leaning and Wagner had little trouble dispatching Democratic opponents in 2014 and 2016.

But things changed in 2018 when Wagner ran against Democrat Cort VanOstran. Even though VanOstran did not have the crucial financial backing of groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he came within about four percentage points of unseating Wagner.

This time around, Schupp does have the backing of outside Democratic groups that are spending prodigiously on her behalf. Republican groups are also helping Wagner, marking the first time that national parties have gotten involved in a local GOP congressional seat since the 2008 race for the now defunct 9th Congressional District.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Ann Wagner on Twitter: @AnnLWagner

Music: “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The Ballwin Republican talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about her competitive race for reelection against state Sen. Jill Schupp.

Wagner represents Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, which takes in portions of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

Her contest against Schupp is considered one of the more competitive House matchups in the nation, with some political prognosticators signaling the race is a tossup. You can listen to Schupp’s Politically Speaking episode here.

Here’s what Wagner had to say on the show:

• The 2nd District, which was previously a Republican stronghold, has become much more competitive in the era of President Donald Trump. She also discussed whether Trump’s sagging poll numbers will make her reelection bid against Schupp more difficult.
• While House members do not vote on Supreme Court nominees, Wagner provided her opinion about Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
• Stalled efforts to pass a new stimulus bill to deal with the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus. Wagner voted for a number of pieces of legislation that sought to deal with the economic and health care impacts of the virus.
• America’s future involvement in Afghanistan. Wagner’s son Raymond serves in the Army, and Wagner is a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Wagner has been a prominent figure in Missouri Republican Party politics for years. She served as chairwoman of the state GOP in the 2000s and played a major role in Roy Blunt’s successful bid for the Senate in 2010. President George W. Bush appointed Wagner ambassador to Luxembourg in 2005.

Wagner took the plunge into electoral politics in 2012 when she ran to succeed Todd Akin in the 2nd Congressional District. Eight years ago, that district leaned decidedly Republican, and Wagner had little trouble dispatching Democratic opponents in 2014 and 2016.

But things changed in 2018 when Wagner ran against Democrat Cort VanOstran. Even though VanOstran did not have the crucial financial backing of groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he came within about 4 percentage points of unseating Wagner.

This time around, Schupp does have the backing of outside Democratic groups that are spending prodigiously on her behalf. Republican groups are also helping Wagner, marking the first time that national parties have gotten involved in a local GOP congressional race since the 2008 election in the now-defunct 9th Congressional District.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Ann Wagner on Twitter: @AnnLWagner

Music: “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

Democrat Richard Orr is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his candidacy for Missouri’s 23rd District Senate seat.

Orr is running again against state Sen. Bill Eigel to represent part of St. Charles County in the Missouri Senate. Eigel beat Orr by about 20 percentage points in 2016. You can listen to Eigel’s Politically Speaking episode by going here.

Here’s what Orr had to say on the program:

• Why he feels the political environment is more favorable to St. Charles County Democrats than 2016. The 23rd District is largely seen as the more competitive St. Charles County-based Senate seat, though many voters tend to support conservative candidates.
• Whether money flowing into St. Charles County to help Democrat Jill Schupp in the 2nd Congressional District race could help him since it could boost turnout from Democrats.
• His differences with Eigel on public policy, including how he is against right to work. That bars unions and employers from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of employment.
• Priorities once he joins the Missouri Senate, such as following through with voter-approved Medicaid expansion and helping the state’s veterans solve problems.

Orr is a University of Missouri graduate who spent more than 35 years in the sporting goods industry.

Some of Orr’s relatives have been involved in Missouri politics for generations. His great, great uncle nearly won the Missouri governorship. And his uncle ran for the 2nd Congressional District in the 1960s.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Music: “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac

State Sen. Bill Eigel is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Weldon Spring Republican talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his priorities if he’s reelected on Nov. 3 and whether St. Charles County will remain a GOP stronghold.

Eigel represents a portion of the county in the 23rd District. He is running for a second term against Democrat Richard Orr.

Orr’s episode of Politically Speaking will be posted later this week.

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

• Democrats have been talking about making inroads in St. Charles County for years, saying the fast-growing suburb’s population of organized labor members would swing in their party’s direction. Eigel, though, says the conservative mindset of the county bodes well for the GOP this election cycle.
• He talked about efforts to place most, if not all, of St. Charles County in one congressional district. That could be a major priority for Republicans during next year’s congressional redistricting process.
• Eigel, a member of the Conservative Caucus, discussed some of his members’ priorities. They include expanding charter schools, which has often run into bipartisan opposition.
• He talked about two high-profile state Senate contests. The 15th District race is between Republican Sen. Andrew Koenig and Democratic state Rep. Deb Lavender, and the 19th District matchup is between GOP Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden and former Democratic state Rep. Judy Baker. Both of those races have major implications for the 2021 Senate session.

Eigel was first elected to the Senate in 2016, after emerging out of a competitive primary against then-state Rep. Ann Zerr and longtime municipal Judge Mike Carter. He went on to defeat Orr in the general election by a comfortable margin.

As a member of the Conservative Caucus, Eigel has differed with GOP leadership on a number of fronts. They include a prescription drug monitoring program and an incentive package to get General Motors to expand in Wentzville.

If Eigel wins, he will serve in the Senate through 2024 before term limits bar him from running for that chamber again.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Bill Eigel on Twitter: @billeigel

Music: “Yulia” by Wolf Parade

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll to talk about his campaign for a full four-year term on the latest episode of Politically Speaking.

Kehoe is running against Democrat Alissia Canady on Nov. 3. He was appointed to his post in 2018 after then-Lt. Gov. Mike Parson became governor when Eric Greitens resigned. This is Kehoe’s first statewide contest.

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

Here’s what Kehoe talked about on the program:

• The impact of the Buy Missouri program, which Parson started to promote Missouri-based small businesses. He also discussed some of the major challenges these businesses face since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Why he would be prepared to become governor if the governor died, resigned or was appointed to another position.
• Changes to the low-income housing tax credit program that the Missouri Housing Development Commission agreed to earlier this fall. As lieutenant governor, Kehoe is a member of that panel, which decided to restart the incentive to build housing for the poor, disabled and elderly.
• Whether, with some polls indicating a closer presidential race in Missouri this time than in 2016, the national political environment could affect his bid for a full term.

Kehoe spent nearly eight years as a state senator representing several mid-Missouri counties, including Cole. Before that, he was a member of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission — which oversees the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Before getting into elective office, Kehoe was a car dealer. He became something of a household name in central Missouri, with his commercials saying that “Mid-Missouri loves a Mike Kehoe deal.”

Kehoe is a north St. Louis native and a graduate of Chaminade. His family was close with Dave Sinclair, another north St. Louis native who established one of the most successful car dealerships in the state. This episode of Politically Speaking was recorded at a Dave Sinclair dealership in St. Peters.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jacyln Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Mike Kehoe on Twitter: @mikelkehoe

Music: “Cars” by Gary Numan