Politically Speaking

On the latest Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we break down the Missouri Supreme Court's historic decision to place a redistricting referendum on the November 2026 ballot – and how, at least for now, it foils a national GOP effort to oust Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. People Not Politicians' Richard von Glahn and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins join the show. And later in the program, STLPR's Sarah Kellogg talks about how the Wednesday hearings gave a strong hint of the high court's intentions.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with 6th Congressional District Democratic nominee Josh Smead about his race against Republican Chris Stigall – and the issues he says are important to the North Missouri-based district. Smead also talked about why national Democrats should pay attention to the race, especially if a congressional map from 2025 is used in the general election.

Missouri state Rep. Raychel Proudie emerged victorious in one of the most competitive state Senate primaries of the 2026 election cycle. During a recent appearance on the “Politically Speaking” podcast, the Ferguson Democrat said if elected in November she plans to play a major role in policy debates over education and the future of the 1st Congressional District. She also wants to bolster penalties for police officers who misuse Flock cameras, which have faced bipartisan furor in Missouri after a St. Charles County Police Department employee used it for a non-law enforcement purpose.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin discusses the broken federal campaign finance system – and some ideas on how to make it work better. The Missouri Independent's Steph Quinn joins the program to talk about caseload issues in Children's Division. And STLPR's Sarah Kellogg details how the Missouri GOP is feeling after the massive failures of Amendments 4 and 5.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway talks about lawsuits over a redistricting referendum and the Respect Missouri Voters plan. The GOP official also talks about her push to curtail VLTs and her impressions of the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Sarah Kellogg and Rachel Lippmann break down Tuesday's primary election results – including the massive failures of Amendments 4 and 5 and Congressman Wesley Bell's big re-election victory in the state's 1st Congressional District.

Former Missouri state Rep. Hannah Kelly, who is running for the Rolla-based 16th Senate District seat, is strongly opposed to legalizing and regulating video gaming machines that are often found in gas stations, convenience stores and fraternal organizations. “I do not want these machines in our gas stations easily accessible to our children,” she said. Kelly decided to initially run for office because she felt there was a great disconnect between her generation and people serving in the legislature.

On a special edition of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum previews the upcoming August 4th Missouri primary with STLPR reporters Rachel Lippmann and Sarah Kellogg. The journotrio talk about the impact of Amendments 4 and 5 on state legislative elections; the St. Louis County executive contest; and the impact of a redistricting referendum on upcoming elections.

State Rep. Don Mayhew is one of three major Republican candidates running for the 16th Senatorial District seat. The Crocker Republican joins STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Jonathan Ahl on the latest episode of Politically Speaking to talk about his campaign and why voters of the Rolla area district should elect him over Bill Hardwick and Hannah Kelly.

For years, the Missouri Senate has been ground zero for some of the fiercest battles – often driven by personal animosity between legislators. For state Rep. Bill Hardwick, being able to bring consensus to difficult policy fights is a big reason why he says Republican voters in Missouri’s 16th Senate District should choose him on Aug. 4. “I can just really drill down and analyze these subjects in detail, really complex, really abstract problems,” Hardwick said on the “Politically Speaking” podcast. “I can deal with people, help them solve problems, and try to apply these ethereal concepts to real people's lives. That's my kind of draw to politics.”

Joan VonDras believes that if Democrats are going to beat Congresswoman Ann Wagner in the fall, they’ll have to stretch past their comfort zone. VonDras, a former educator at the Clayton and Parkway School districts, and Fred Wellman are the major contenders in the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary. VonDras has been holding town halls throughout the 2nd District, which includes a number of GOP-leaning areas like Jefferson, Franklin and Gasconade counties. She said the winner of the Aug. 4 primary Democratic primary can’t win in November without appealing to Republicans and independents. “There are plenty of people that want to put country above party, and those are the people we need to tap into,” VonDras said during an appearance on the “Politically Speaking” podcast.

With less than two weeks to go before voters in St. Louis and St. Louis County decide their nationally-watched race, Congressman Wesley Bell and Cori Bush clashed in an intense joint appearance Friday. The two Democrats got into tense exchanges about their campaign finance donations and spending during an appearance on “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.”

Democrat David Bryant is one of two candidates seeking the party’s nomination for St. Louis County prosecuting attorney. The winner will face a Libertarian candidate in November.

The Democrat is one of two candidates seeking the party’s nomination for St. Louis County prosecuting attorney. The winner will face a frequent Libertarian candidate in November.

Tim Whitney had always wanted to be in law enforcement. And he achieved his goal by working his way up to being the second-in-command at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. But after a number of years of overseeing day-to-day operations for the agency, Whitney is making the transition to politics by running for Jefferson County executive — something he said is a continuation of his public service and his love for his home county. “I love Jefferson County,” Whitney said on St. Louis Public Radio’s “Politically Speaking.” “As I say that, I can hear listeners gasping or rolling their eyes because that's a political answer. As somebody who has been in law enforcement my whole life… When I said those words, they were taken at face value. The day you become a politician, there's a sense of skepticism that applies to that. And there should be because of the things politicians before have done.” Whitney is running against John Stockton in the GOP primary on Aug. 4. The winner will be the heavy favorite to succeed Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon, who is not running for re-election.

The St. Louis County Democrat is one of two candidates seeking his party’s nomination to replace Jake Zimmerman, who hopes to be the next St. Louis County executive.

John Stockton has never run for political office before. But when incumbent Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon decided not to run for another term, he thought the time had come in his life to enter the political arena. Stockton, who operates several businesses in Jefferson County, said his motivation for jumping into the GOP primary is about giving back to the place that he’s called home for almost all of his life. “There comes a point in time where it's not about titles or positions anymore,” Stockton said. “It's about ultimately giving back to the county that's given me everything.” Stockton is running in the Aug. 4 Republican primary against Tim Whitney, who is the undersheriff for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. Stockton said that he’s knocked on over 5,000 doors and is hearing a desire for the county government to be more service oriented.

The St. Ann Democrat is one of two candidates seeking his party’s nomination to replace Jake Zimmerman, who hopes to be the next St. Louis County executive.

The Democrat from Florissant is one of three seeking the party’s nomination to replace Sam Page. The winner of the August primary will face Republican and Green party candidates in November.

The Democrat from Olivette is one of three seeking the party’s nomination to replace Sam Page. The winner of the August primary will face Republican and Green party candidates in November.