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Outside spending boosts Republicans in swing legislative races around Missouri
Democratic candidates in tough legislative races around Missouri were holding their own in fundraising against their Republican opponents heading into the campaign’s homestretch. But the tide quickly turned. Groups like the House Republican Campaign Committee, or HRCC, and the pro-school choice Missouri Federation for Children PAC have been spending big to protect GOP incumbents and […]
Governor’s adviser the frontrunner for Missouri AG job if Eric Schmitt wins Senate seat
If Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt prevails in next week’s race for U.S. Senate, Gov. Mike Parson is considering tapping one of his top advisers to replace him. Numerous sources both inside and outside the governor’s office who spoke with The Independent say Parson is leaning towards appointing Andrew Bailey as the state’s next attorney […]
Opposition to Missouri marijuana amendment creating strange political bedfellows
The Missouri Baptist Convention and Pro-Choice Missouri don’t often find themselves on the same team. Same for the Missouri NAACP and Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. But this year, each is part of an ideologically scattershot constellation of organizations and elected officials that have come out of the woodwork in recent weeks to urge Missourians […]
National report finds Missouri student test scores dropped during pandemic
A new report released this week documents the impact of COVID-19 on student performance in Missouri, with test scores for math and reading dropping from pre-pandemic levels. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assesses students in fourth and eighth grades throughout the nation in math and reading every two years, though its 2021 assessment […]
More Missouri legislative races could be competitive this year thanks to a new map
Republicans have had super majorities in both chambers of the Missouri legislature for the past decade. And every election cycle, Democrats vow to begin crawling out of the legislative wilderness. This year is no different. But a new legislative map — drawn by a bipartisan redistricting commission — has created more potentially competitive districts, giving […]
Two years after launching The Missouri Independent, we’re still detectives for the people
I often joke that 75% of my job involves aimlessly wandering the Missouri Capitol in the hopes of bumping into news. But the only funny part of that bit is that it’s not really a joke. Look: I’ve covered statehouses around the Midwest for nearly 20 years, and there has never been a day when […]
Medical marijuana companies pour money into legalization PAC in campaign’s homestretch
With less than a month to go before voters head to the polls, the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana is getting a financial boost from the medical marijuana industry. Legal Missouri 2022 — the political action committee supporting a marijuana proposal that will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot as Amendment 3 — has raised […]
Eric Schmitt deletes Kanye West tweet after backlash over anti-semitic comments
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Eric Schmitt tweeted Tuesday night in praising Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, then quickly deleted it as criticism rolled in over the rapper’s recent anti-semitic comments. “America needs a @kanyewest @KidRock tour,” Schmitt, Missouri’s attorney general, wrote Tuesday night. “Let’s go!” The tweet drew backlash since it was published just […]
Missouri governor doesn’t plan to issue blanket pardons for marijuana offenses
While announcing a plan to pardon those with prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession, President Joe Biden urged governor’s to follow suit for those convicted of state offenses. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who has granted clemency to more people than any Missouri governor in the past four decades, doesn’t appear ready to heed the […]
Missouri AFL-CIO endorses marijuana legalization constitutional amendment
The push to legalize recreational marijuana has won the endorsement of Missouri’s largest labor organization. Missouri AFL-CIO president Jake Hummel on Thursday announced his organization was endorsing the proposal, which will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot as Amendment 3, calling it a “huge step forward for criminal justice reform in Missouri.” “Amendment 3 will […]
Missouri governor signs $764 million income tax cut, rural incentives package
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday signed an income tax cut and a package of incentives targeting rural economic projects into law, putting the finishing touches on a special legislative session he convened last month. Both proposals were the result of vetoes issues earlier this year by Parson, who objected to a tax rebate plan […]
Scattershot polling leaves both sides of Missouri marijuana campaign optimistic
A pair of polls in recent weeks found voters closely divided over the question of whether Missouri should legalize recreational marijuana use. Meanwhile, a third poll expects legalization will cruise to a double-digit victory. Five weeks before Election Day, despite public polling all over the place, proponents of the marijuana initiative petition — which will […]