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 …

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,” …

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 …

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 …

It’s hard to believe, but 2011 is only a few short days away from ending, and the natural human inclination is to engage in retrospection. As is the case near the end of December, it’s hard to pick a particular issue or event that defined an entire year. In particular, 2011 featured fierce fights over redistricting, a devastating tornado in Joplin, delicate political maneuvering and a large dose of presidential politics heading into 2012. And even though 2011 was a nonelection year for most folks, there were still some notable contests that caught some interest. While the written word is a …

Ann Wagner wowed political observers with her latest fundraising quarter. So much so, in fact, that at least one politico speculated she might be eyeing another contest. Wagner, a Ballwin Republican who previously served as Missouri Republican Party chairwoman and ambassador to Luxemburg, raised $532,093.07 in the third quarter for her 2nd Congressional District bid. That was far more than what the other GOP contender for the seat, Republican attorney Ed Martin, brought in during the fundraising quarter. “I am honored to have earned the trust and support of so many citizens across the 2nd …

Missouri’s highest-ranking elected Republican threw his support this week behind Mitt Romney’s presidential bid. Romney’s campaign announced Tuesday that Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) would be leading an effort to get more congressional lawmakers to endorse the former Massachusetts governor. A press release from Romney’s campaign stated that Blunt will be “spearheading the campaign’s effort to secure the support of Republican members in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.” Blunt played a similar role during the 2000 election for then Texas Gov. George W. Bush when he was a …

As a fan of both politics and entertainment, I grudgingly admit sometimes imagining what my coverage routine would be like if celebrities were in public office. For instance, St. Louis County Council meetings would be a little bit more interesting if Cornell Haynes, Jr.—known to the world as Nelly—was pouring over the issues. And you couldn’t imagine my excitement if St. Charles County resident and professional wrestling superstar Randy Orton successfully ran for state representative. Because, you know, he’d go to the papers if he had to talk about a plan to the entice creation of a China Hub…

No matter the forum or topic at hand, U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan’s political future seems to follow him around. Whether it’s a conference call about the payroll tax policy, an exposition about his time in Iraq, an event with House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, aimed at bolstering American-based products or a town hall forum at an Oakville nursing home, this summer, Carnahan continuously has been peppered with questions about his electoral future. The questions keep coming because Carnahan, D-St. Louis, was effectively the odd man out in the redistricting process. His congressional turf …

The past few months have not been kind to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. With nearly three decades of experience in state government, success in winning statewide elective office and a potent political organization, Kinder was long thought to be the Republican standard-bearer for governor next year. He also stood aside from running for governor in 2008, a move that gave him a chance to become the defacto leader of the Missouri GOP when the party fared poorly that year. But 2011 has been a different story. The Cape Girardeau native ended up reimbursing the state tens of thousands of dollars after the …

Editor's Note: This week, Eureka-Wildwood Patch debuts our Political Potpourri column, a look at some of the big stories in electoral politics impacting our community at the state and federal level. We'll put the big stories in perspective, and offer up some nuggets about what's coming down the pike.  One of the more important developments in Missouri’s 2012 election cycle occurred this week through inaction. Well, that’s not entirely true. Commissions tasked with drawing new state legislative districts had to officially give up to propel the process to the courts. But a lack of progress on …