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Darren Bailey, the former Republican Illinois gubernatorial candidate, is banking on his deeply conservative values and unwillingness to sacrifice them to propel him to victory against U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in the 12th District primary next month.

“As a Republican — and as a conservative Republican — I cannot compromise my values,” Bailey said on the Politically Speaking podcast.

Bailey, R-Xenia, believes it’s time for change in Washington, and he’s cast his opponent, a five-term congressman, as a political insider.

The 12th Congressional District spans the southern third of the state and includes parts of the Metro East like O’Fallon and Scott Air Force Base. Whoever wins the Republican primary will be highly favored in November in the conservative district.

While both candidates share numerous similarities in policy positions, Bailey, a Clay County farmer, believes Bost is not conservative enough. Bailey points to Bost’s membership in the U.S. House Main Street Caucus, a group of “pragmatic conservatives,” according to the group’s website.

“I love the work that the House Freedom Caucus is doing,” Bailey said, referring to a group of the most conservative GOP representatives.

Bailey said security on the U.S.-Mexico border would be his top issue if elected. Last week, Bailey visited the southern border.

“No. 1 priority is closing our border and making sure that we are secure with the millions of people who have come undocumented into our country,” he said.

A recent bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Senate, which tied border security to funding for Ukraine and Israel, did not pass the Senate and appears likely to do so in the House. Bailey said he wouldn’t have supported it because it addresses too much.

“I’m going to fight like crazy for single-issue bills,” he said.

Before discussing funding Ukraine’s defense against the Russian offensive, Bailey said Congress needs to act on the border.

Both Republicans are banking on their support of former President Donald Trump in this race, believing that will help them clinch the nomination. Bailey said he last spoke to Trump in December.

“Yes, we did talk about the endorsement,” Bailey said. “We are definitely on his radar.”

Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race but endorsed Bailey in his failed attempt to the governor’s office and Bost in previous reelection campaigns.

Bailey currently holds endorsements from fellow Illinois Republican Mary Miller and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, who will be campaigning for Bailey this week in Herrin, Illinois.

Illinois early voting has begun, and election day is March 19.

Bost’s appearance on Politically Speaking is scheduled to air Tuesday.

Democratic state Rep. Kathy Steinhoff is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where she spoke about education legislation, including her opposition to a bill that would provide open school enrollment statewide.

That plan recently passed the House and now moves to the Senate.

The freshman lawmaker and former teacher was first elected to her post in 2022, representing a district that includes a portion of the city of Columbia.

Here’s what Steinhoff talked about during the show:

• Her journey from the classroom to the Missouri General Assembly.
• Her opposition to efforts to bar transgender students from using bathrooms that match their gender identity. 
• Her take on whether lawmakers will be able to pass a bill reauthorizing the Federal Reimbursement Allowance. That’s a tax paid by hospitals that helps fund the state’s Medicaid program.

Steinhoff spent 34 years teaching in Columbia. She also was president of the Columbia NEA and was heavily involved in negotiating union contracts.

When state Rep. Martha Stevens declined to run for reelection, Steinhoff entered the race to succeed her in Missouri’s 45th District. She ran unopposed in the primary and general election.

Steinhoff serves on the House Budget, Elementary and Secondary Education and Pensions committees.

State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Arnold Republican spoke about her decision to run for Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District seat.

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer announced his retirement earlier this month. The district includes parts of Jefferson, St. Charles, Cole, Boone, Callaway and Warren counties.

Here’s what Coleman talked about on Politically Speaking:

• She said she was well positioned in a potentially crowded primary, adding, “When you look at my record, you see that nobody can get to my right.”
• Coleman criticized the way President Joe Biden and Congress have provided military assistance to Ukraine, saying that it doesn’t make sense to give the beleaguered country billions of dollars instead of spending that money on U.S. border security.
• Why she would vote for support for Israel’s war in Gaza. She also addressed questions about whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was too toxic to warrant support from Congress.
• How she would change the country’s immigration policies and whether any plan should include helping boost the economic fortunes of Latin American countries.

Coleman is an attorney who previously served on the Arnold City Council. In 2018, she prevailed in one of the most-watched House contests of the year against Democrat Mike Revis. He had flipped a seat that had previously been held by a Republican.
Her win guaranteed that every state legislative seat that covers Jefferson County would be represented by a Republican. Until relatively recently, Jefferson County residents had historically preferred Democratic candidates.

Coleman won election to the 22nd Senate District in 2022. Like several other potential 3rd District contenders in the Missouri Senate, Coleman can run for Congress this year without vacating her state legislative seat.

St. Louis Public Radio plans to talk with the major Republican and Democratic candidates running for the seat.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway expounds on her decision to not run for another term this year.

The Chesterfield Democrat represents the council’s 2nd District, which includes municipalities such as St. Ann, Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur, Bridgeton and Hazelwood. She was first elected to her post in a 2019 special election and won a full four-year term in 2020.

Here’s what Dunaway discussed during the program:

• How the political turmoil around the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in her decision not to seek another term. She also talked about the dissension among Democrats on issues such as mask mandates and occupancy restrictions.
• How the hostility that local elected officials faced since the pandemic may prompt people to think twice about serving in public office. 
• New ideas to raise revenue — including providing naming rights to county buildings or streets — with the county facing a budget deficit. She also talked about the consequences if the budget isn’t dealt with in a serious manner.
• Her vote against an incentive package for Boeing, which put her in conflict with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. He and Dunaway have been allies since she joined the council, but she detailed why she diverged from the fellow Democrat on this issue.

Dunaway attended Southern Illinois University for her undergraduate degree in history and UCLA for law school. She was the director of learning and development for the Bryan Cave law firm and now runs a training and consulting firm for attorneys.
After Dunaway prevailed in a 2019 special election over Republican Amy Poelker, Democrats regained control of the council. It marked the first time a council majority consisted entirely of women.

Missouri state Rep. Aaron Crossley is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Independence Democrat talked about the 2024 session.

Crossley represents Missouri’s 29th House District, which takes in a portion of Independence. He was elected to the House in 2022 after winning a closely watched race against Republican David Martin.

Here’s what Crossley discussed on the program:

• How the death of Grayson O’Connor in Kansas City should be a wake-up call for legislators to devote more money toward investigating child abuse. Missouri has struggled to recruit and retain Children’s Division investigators, especially in the St. Louis area.
• Crossley talked about expectations for the 2024 session, which are fairly low because of election year politics. But Crossley is hoping that lawmakers at least come together to renew the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, a tax that is critical for funding the state’s Medicaid program.
• Even though similar ideas crashed and burned in Ohio, Crossley expects lawmakers to try to put something on the ballot that would make it more difficult to amend the state’s constitution.

Crossley is a social worker who first decided to run for office in 2022. While Independence has historically been a Democratic stronghold, parts of that city have become more competitive in recent years. And his contest against Martin was one of the more expensive contests of the cycle.

Ultimately, Crossley won his race with more than 52% of the vote. He currently serves on the House Budget Committee and the House General Laws Committee — two bodies that often make key financial and policy decisions in the General Assembly.

In a twist, Crossley’s father, J.C. Crossley, ran as a Republican in the same 2022 election cycle. He narrowly lost to Rep. Kemp Strickland. Had he prevailed, it would have been the first time in recent memory that a father and son served in the Missouri House together for opposite parties.