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 …

Former state Rep. Gina Walsh (D-Bellefontaine Neighbors) continues to rack up endorsements in her bid for the 13th District Senate seat. Walsh this week said that she had been officially endorsed by St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, not a surprising development since the Democratic official attended her kick-off party earlier this year. She also received backing from St. Louis County Councilman Mike O’Mara (D-Florissant), Councilwoman Kathleen Burkett (D-Overland) and Councilman Pat Dolan (D-Richmond Heights). Walsh was also endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents…

There’s one less Democratic candidate in the race for the 1st Senatorial District, which encompasses a sizable portion of south St. Louis County. Michael Vogt, an Affton resident who served four terms in the Missouri House, withdrew his candidacy earlier this week. Vogt, an attorney, raised only $100 during the past fundraising quarter, a far cry from either Rep. Scott Sifton (D-Affton) or former state Rep. Sue Schoemehl (D-Oakville). Whoever wins the primary between Sifton and Schoemehl will face incumbent state Sen. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay). While the redistricted 1stDistrict is more Democratic…

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,” …

Back when he was merely a gubernatorial contender, Gov. Jay Nixon reacted to then-Rep. Jeff Harris’ entry into the race for attorney general in fairly simple terms. He said in 2007 that the Columbia Democrat would make a “super attorney general.” When Harris used that line in an ad in 2008, Nixon’s campaign put out a statement that he had not endorsed anybody in the competitive four-way Democratic primary. Harris ended up coming in third place, behind second-place finisher Margaret Donnelly and eventual victor Chris Koster. The episode showcased how reluctant Nixon can be when choosing to …

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 …

Reps. Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay each snagged labor endorsements in their bids to stay in Congress. The two St. Louis City Democrats are both running in the 1st Congressional District, an area that encompasses all of St. Louis City and portions of north St. Louis County. It’s a race that’s expected to be quite heated, as evidenced by the barbs traded between the two on the first day of filing. A few weeks ago Clay received an endorsement from the Missouri branch of the AFL-CIO, one of the largest labor unions in the state. This week, Carnahan nabbed endorsements from firefighters unions that…

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, …

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 a number of Mitt Romney supporters, 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 say with reluctance but clearly is that he’s …

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 he went 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 …

Candidate filing began this week for the state’s presidential primary amid questions about whether the contest will have any bearing on choosing presidential delegates. As of press time, four Republican presidential aspirants have signed up for next February’s contest. That list includes former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Georgia businessman Herman Cain, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and St. Louis resident Michael Meheen. Republicans opted to select their delegates through a caucus process after the legislature failed to pass legislation moving the primary from February to March. …