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Candidates expected to align with the conservative caucus in the Missouri Senate had a good night on Tuesday, winning primaries in three open seats and knocking off one incumbent.  The victories likely mean the caucus — which has quarreled with GOP leadership and used procedural roadblocks to grind the chamber to a halt for the […]

The post Conservative caucus likely expands in Missouri Senate after GOP primary wins appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick easily won the Republican nomination for Missouri auditor Tuesday, defeating state Rep. David Gregory. With nearly all precincts reporting, Fitzpatrick held a nearly 30 percentage point lead over Gregory. This fall he will face Democratic state Rep. Allen Green of Florissant, who was unopposed in his party’s primary, and Libertarian John […]

The post Scott Fitzpatrick rolls to victory in GOP primary for Missouri auditor appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Trish Gunby won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday to take on incumbent U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District.  Gunby, a state lawmaker from Manchester, bested Reed, who conceded the race shortly after 10 p.m. The Democratic nominee faces an uphill battle against Wagner, a five-term Republican incumbent who saw her district reworked […]

The post Trish Gunby defeats Ray Reed in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Sen. Eric Burlison claimed the GOP nomination in the heavily Republican 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, beating beating out seven other contenders in the Republican primary.  He will take on Kristen Radaker-Sheafer, who emerged from the Democratic primary, and Libertarian Kevin Craig. The GOP race attracted a big field of candidates after the longtime […]

The post Eric Burlison emerges from crowded field in 7th Congressional District Republican primary appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Anheuser-Busch heiress Trudy Busch Valentine won the Democratic nomination for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, defeating her closest rival, former Marine Lucas Kunce. With nearly all precincts reporting, Busch had won 43% of the vote, compared to 38% for Kunce. Throughout her campaign, Valentine has said working as a nurse and experiencing immense grief […]

The post Beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine captures Missouri Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Former Kansas City anchorman Mark Alford emerged from the crowded GOP primary in the 4th Congressional District on Tuesday. In the sprawling 24-county 4th District, Alfort bested his main rivals —  Sen. Rick Brattin, farmer Kalena Bruce and former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks — in a race that saw massive outside spending from political […]

The post Former TV anchorman wins GOP nomination in Missouri’s 4th Congressional District appeared first on Missouri Independent.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush easily won the Democratic primary in the 1st Congressional District Tuesday, trouncing state Sen. Steve Roberts by more than 30 percentage points when the race was called shortly before 10 p.m.  In the heavily Democratic district, which includes all of the City of St. Louis and North St. Louis County, the […]

The post Cori Bush cruises to victory in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary appeared first on Missouri Independent.

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas — Voters in a landslide Tuesday defeated a proposed amendment to the Kansas constitution that would have stripped residents of abortion rights, defying polling and political observes who expected a close result. The ballot measure was failing by a 63-37 margin at 9:45 p.m. as voters responded to an intense and costly campaign marked […]

The post Kansas voters defeat anti-abortion amendment in unexpected landslide appeared first on Missouri Independent.

ST. LOUIS — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt beat back a crowded field of opponents Tuesday night to secure the Republican nomination for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat. With most precincts reporting, Schmitt led with 45% of the vote, compared to 22% for U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler and 19% for disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens. […]

The post Missouri AG Eric Schmitt beats Hartzler, Greitens to claim GOP Senate nomination appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON —  The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed bipartisan legislation that would provide health care and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances while deployed overseas, after many Republicans switched their votes and decided to once again back the legislation. The shift came after days of protest and vigils outside the U.S. Capitol, […]

The post U.S. Senate in turnaround backs aid for veterans exposed to burn pits appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A multi-year report analyzing maternal mortality in Missouri and published Monday found that women on Medicaid are eight times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than their counterparts with private health insurance. It also found Black women in Missouri were three times more likely to die within a year of pregnancy than […]

The post Stark disparities persist in Missouri’s maternal mortality rate, state board finds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Former President Donald Trump finally issued his long anticipated endorsement in Missouri’s crowded GOP primary for U.S. Senate Monday night.  But it’s anybody’s guess which candidate he supports.  In a statement from his campaign, Trump endorsed “Eric,” without specifying whether he meant former Gov. Eric Greitens or Attorney General Eric Schmitt.  “I am therefore proud […]

The post Trump endorses ‘Eric’ in Missouri GOP Senate primary, but doesn’t clarify which one appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Boone County sent out more than 100,000 sample ballots to prepare voters for Tuesday’s primary election, and many were surprised at what they saw.  “They weren’t aware of redistricting happening,” said Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon. “So we had a lot of questions from people that were newly in the 3rd Congressional District that were […]

The post Missouri Election Day FAQ: What you need to know to make sure your vote counts appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Back in September of 2021, I asked: If each U.S. Senate primary candidate held a Texas Hold ‘Em starting hand, what would they be, and why? If you’re still following the series, then I assume you have some basic familiarity with poker. This spring, I provided an update, with a column describing the flop — […]

The post Missouri’s GOP Senate primary as a hand of Texas Hold ‘Em, part four: The river appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The openings created by the ambitions of two Republican members of Congress are producing hot undercard primaries for GOP voters in central and southwest Missouri. And political action committees, some with known names and others created just for these races, are flooding the 4th and 7th Congressional Districts with attack ads that indicate who the […]

The post Massive spending fuels contentious primaries in Missouri Congressional, auditor races appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Missouri Sunshine Law next year, a statewide organization dedicated to government transparency has honored The Missouri Independent as a “Sunshine Hero” for its work covering state government since launching in October 2020.  In addition to The Independent, the Missouri Sunshine Coalition has also chosen Greene County Clerk […]

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden took a preliminary victory lap Thursday to celebrate Democrats striking a surprise deal on a sweeping legislative package that renewed hopes of historic action on the party’s health care, tax and climate goals. But just down Pennsylvania Avenue, Senate Democrats said they needed to read through the bill text to […]

The post U.S. Senate Democrats dive into details of surprise 725-page reconciliation bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Environmental advocates largely praised the climate provisions in Senate Democrats’ massive taxes, health care and energy bill released Wednesday night, saying even with provisions to help the fossil fuel industry, the measure represents a historic step toward addressing the climate crisis. The 725-page bill — made public mere hours after U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate […]

The post Climate spending in new reconciliation deal a ‘turning point’ for the U.S., supporters say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Veterans and their advocates gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday for what was supposed to be a celebration, one day after a crucial Senate vote on bipartisan legislation that would expand health care and benefits to 3.5 million veterans exposed to burn pits during their deployments. The gathering instead became a forum […]

The post ‘These people don’t care’: U.S. Senate GOP stalls bill for veterans exposed to burn pits appeared first on Missouri Independent.

COLUMBIA — The final push to next week’s primary has Attorney General Eric Schmitt joining, for the first time, those hoping to oust Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican Leader and Lucas Kunce dismissing the importance of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’ endorsement in the Democratic race. Speaking to reporters after a campaign stop in a […]

The post After months of wavering, Schmitt comes out against McConnell days before Senate primary appeared first on Missouri Independent.