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Missouri AG aligns with St. Louis conspiracy theorist in social media lawsuit
When Kate Starbird got word that Missouri’s attorney general wanted her to turn over three years of her emails, she didn’t know what to think. A Seattle-based professor at the University of Washington, Starbird co-founded the UW Center for an Informed Public, which researches misinformation online. Why would an elected official 2,000 miles away be […]
FEC to pay Josh Hawley campaign $23K to settle lawsuit over denial of public records
The Federal Election Commission has agreed to pay U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s campaign $23,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging the agency illegally withheld public documents. In late 2021, Hawley’s campaign requested a series of records under the Freedom of Information Act from the FEC. The purpose of the request was to compile materials the campaign […]
Missouri judge rules AG’s office under Josh Hawley ‘knowingly’ violated transparency laws
A Missouri judge on Monday ruled staff in the attorney general’s office, while it was being run by now-U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, used private email accounts to “knowingly and purposefully” subvert the state’s open records law. Cole County Judge Jon Beetem determined the attorney general’s office violated the Sunshine Law by taking steps to conceal […]
Missouri’s Josh Hawley says red wave fizzled because of ‘Washington Republicanism’
Republicans may still gain control of both chambers of Congress, but the “red wave” landslide many were predicting fizzled — leaving the party soul-searching and looking for answers. Some blame former President Donald Trump’s endorsements of flawed candidates in key races. Others say it was the threat to abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court’s […]
Five takeaways from Missouri election night 2022
Missouri’s midterm election largely went according to script. Every congressional race was won by the party that previously controlled it. Republicans now hold all statewide offices. Democrats took advantage of a new legislative map to pick up a few seats in the state House. But a lack of surprises doesn’t mean it was an inconsequential […]
Eric Schmitt defeats Trudy Busch Valentine in Missouri U.S. Senate race
Republican Eric Schmitt will be Missouri’s next U.S. Senator, cruising to an easy victory Tuesday over Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine. Final unofficial returns gave Schmitt 55% to Valentine’s 42%. “Missourians have always been suspicious of a federal government 1,000 miles away telling us how to run our lives,” Schmitt told supporters Tuesday night. “We’ve always […]
Federal officials run into resistance in Missouri over election monitoring
A Missouri election official says he won’t allow the U.S. Department of Justice entry to polling locations in his county as it investigates complaints involving accessible voting machines. Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer received a letter on Oct. 27 from Teresa Moore, the U.S. attorney for Missouri’s western district, saying her office had received complaints […]
Missouri election guide: The big questions voters will face on Tuesday’s ballot
Voters around the state have been taking advantage of Missouri’s first ever no-excuse early voting period the last two weeks. The early voting period ends at 5 p.m. Monday, and polls will be open for everyone else from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Among the races on the statewide ballot this year include […]
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 […]