This election cycle brought about an unprecedented flow of initiative petitions -- 143 to be exact. Even though an innumerable amount of trees were sacrificed in paperwork, only four items have any chance of making it to the ballot. Earlier in May, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced that various groups had turned in signatures for the following ballot initiatives: A bid to transition oversight of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department away from state control. A measure that would raise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products by 73 cents. Changes to how “payday loan” …

A Missouri ballot initiative aimed at curtailing interest rates at “payday loan” entities is getting some national attention. For an episode of PBS’s Need to Know, airing locally this weekend, the program traveled to the Show Me State to follow around activists who are collecting signatures for an initiative petition. If the ballot measure makes it to the ballot and if voters approve it, interest rates on certain lending companies would be capped at 36 percent. Supporters of the initiative argue that the loan agencies place poorer Missourians in a cycle of debt. But opponents counter that the…

The last few iterations of this column have noted how several candidates for the U.S. Senate utilized creative means to entice fundraising efforts. For instance, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) used his rhetorical scuffle with President Barack Obama over student loans in a fundraising pitch.   And Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has directly attacked third-party organizations that are pre-emptively attacking the incumbent lawmaker as she makes a difficult bid for re-election. McCaskill’s campaign staff continued on a creative path in an email that was sent to supporters earlier this week. They …

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) made an appearance this week on The Colbert Report, a popular satirical news show on Comedy Central. The first-term senator spent time on the show talking about her latest ad, which hones on third-party organizations that have been running ads against her. “Stephen, as he always does, used his character to point out the absurd loopholes in federal election law that allow corporations and special interests to anonymously influence the political system. I applaud the work he and his show do to educate America about 501(c)(4) organizations and secret money,” …

Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) got some press in late April after President Barack Obama alluded to the U.S. Senate hopeful’s comments about government-backed student loans. At a debate in Columbia, Akin said the following about pending student loan legislation: "America has got the equivalent of the stage three cancer of socialism because the federal government is tampering in all kinds of stuff it has no business tampering in. So first, to answer your question precisely, what the democrats did to get rid of the private student loans and take it all over by the government was wrong, it was a …

Chalk this up as one of the more unusual transportation vehicles utilized during the 2012 election season: St. Louis City attorney Ed Martin’s campaign for attorney general is using a retrofitted ambulance aimed at showcasing the Republican’s opposition to President Barack Obama’s health care plan. Martin’s campaign announced last week that the “Ed Martin for Attorney General Campaign ‘Stop Obamacare’ Ambulance” would be traveling around the state to collect signatures against the health care law passed in 2010.  “We are inviting citizens from across the state to come out to the ‘Stop …

This week, lawmakers from across the country have introduced measures to prevent the shuttering of various United States Postal Service offices. Last summer, the agency announced it would evaluate the operations at more than 3,000 offices nationwide, including a handful in St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis. Click here for a list of all Missouri branches of the U.S. Postal Service under evaluation. Maplewood-Brentwood Patch recently reported that any decision on closures under the current round of "rightsizing" would not come until next month at the earliest. But both of Missouri's U.…

The tea party movement’s activism may have helped tip the 2010 election cycle to Republicans, especially since dedicated volunteers helped Republicans win the U.S. House and close the gap in the U.S. Senate. So it’s no surprise that candidates—including the three major Republicans running for the U.S. Senate in Missouri—are trying to gather support from tea party organizations and political figures. But one of the interesting aspects of the movement is its inherent decentralization—no one entity speaks for everybody. For instance, former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman announced a few weeks …

Missouri politics may be the best arena to ask “what if?” For instance, what if Republican Matt Blunt had decided to run for re-election in 2008? Would he have defeated then-Attorney General Jay Nixon? Or would he have been swept under the relative Democratic wave that year? And what if Chris Koster had decided to run for attorney general as a Republican? Would he have emerged victorious out of a GOP primary or would have been defeated by more conservative candidates? Political prognosticators can only dream. But a more recent version of that fun and exciting exercise comes about with …

Back when she ran for governor in 2008, then-state Treasurer Sarah Steelman sent out a press release touting the support of non-elected individuals. It was meant as a jab of sorts against U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, a Columbia Republican who had scooped up support from elected officials across the state. Flash forward four years later, and Steelman is running for the U.S. Senate seat. In a crowded primary, she's considered one of three credible candidates for the chance to face off against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri). This time around, Steelman has some advantages. She's the only …

The wee hours of Thursday morning brought about big chances for state Senate districts in St. Louis County. The tentative document – detailed in coverage from the St. Louis Beacon – means that Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) is now in a district with Sen. Brian Nieves, (R-Washington). And districts represented by Sen. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) and John Lamping (R-Ladue) also saw significant changes. If this sounds familiar, that's because the map had to be redrawn after the original document was declared unconstitutional. More analysis will surely come over the next days and weeks. For now, …

Whether it’s Missouri’s State of the State or the United States' State of Union, a chief executive’s speech to a legislative body typically makes reporters’ inboxes balloon. And it’s not just because Harry & David’s sends an unusually large amount emails advertising its latest delicious sale. Rather, lawmakers tend to enjoy providing snap reactions to high-profile events. That was certainly the case earlier this month when Gov. Jay Nixon gave his State of the State address. And it was also what happened when President Barack Obama’s State of the Union delivered his State of the Union earlier …

For procrastinators, Wednesday was especially difficult. That’s because seemingly essential websites, such as Wikipedia, were blacked out to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act. The House bill, commonly known as SOPA, and the Senate legislation, known as PIPA, are attempts at curbing piracy of popular media, such as movies and music. But many opponents say the bills could have a much farther-reaching impact that could shut down sites, such as the aforementioned free online encyclopedia. Thus, Wednesday became the day where many sites opposed to the measures spoke out and …

As noted numerous times before, the GOP process for selecting presidential delegates is not exactly straightforward. Even though there’s a primary in February, as of now, delegates will be selected at caucuses held in March. In attempt to sort the situation out for area Republicans, Rep. Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood) is planning a “Presidential Primary Preview” at Westminster Christian Academy in Town and Country. The event will feature an explanation of the state’s presidential delegate situation by Missouri Republican Party political director Robert Knodell. In addition to a straw poll and …

It’s hard to believe, but 2011 is only a few short days away from ending, and the natural human inclination is to engage in retrospection. As is the case near the end of December, it’s hard to pick a particular issue or event that defined an entire year. In particular, 2011 featured fierce fights over redistricting, a devastating tornado in Joplin, delicate political maneuvering and a large dose of presidential politics heading into 2012. And even though 2011 was a nonelection year for most folks, there were still some notable contests that caught some interest. While the written word is a …

House Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller—a Willard Republican running for secretary of state—will be holding a fundraising event next Thursday in Town and Country. The event at the Cedar Springs Clubhouse will be hosted by Rep. Sue Allen (R-Town and Country). In addition to a slew of Republican state representatives, the event will also feature House Majority Leader Tim Jones (R-Eureka) and Sen. Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis County). Jones is expected to become the next House Speaker if Republicans retain control on that chamber next year. Schoeller is in a crowded race to replace Democratic Secretary…

Former Republican state senator Jim Talent may have decided to skip running for office this election cycle. But that doesn’t mean he’s out of the electoral arena. Talent, a Des Peres native who served in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2007, was one of numerous supporters of Republican and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who spent part of last week attacking former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gingrich has surged in the polls as of late, making him the latest unlikely GOP primary frontrunner. “The Speaker’s running as a reliable and trusted conservative leader and what we’re here to …

For the most part, last week’s great redistricting earthquake threw a number of lawmakers into the same state legislative districts. But rather than spurring primary fights, at least some incumbents are making plans to move. Such was the case with Sen. Jane Cunningham, a Chesterfield Republican who was drawn into the same district with Sen. John Lamping (R-Ladue). But instead of a confrontation,Cunningham instead will run in the nearby 27th District, which features parts of western St. Louis County and northern Jefferson County. Similar situations happened across the state and region with …

With the Republican nomination for governor all shook up, so to speak, there’s increased speculation that Ed Martin might bolt from the 2nd Congressional District race. Martin didn’t help pare down curosity when hewent on KMOX to say that he would consider switching races once again during the election cycle. Martin already bowed out of the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate after U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Wildwood) decided to run for the nation's greatest deliberative body. Beyond having to answer for his propensity to switch races midstream, Martin may have to deal with yet another well-funded …

Every ten years, the truly dedicated political adherents become obsessed with maps. That fixation isn't necessarily because they agree with this writer that cartography is awesome. Rather every ten years, states have to reconfigure their congressional maps to conform to population changes showcased in the U.S. Census. And often times, the process isn't exactly neat and tidy. The redistricting process was the subject of a CNN special earlier this week entitled "Gerry-rigged: Ignoring the American Voter. The report took a close look at "gerrymandering," which involves drawing districts that can…