Meet the Republican Gubernatorial Candidates, June 21, 6:30 p.m., at Ham's Deli. This event is sponsored by the St. Charles Young Republicans. Upcoming Democratic Events: 30th Annual First Capitol Day dinner, 6:30 p.m. June 15, Trigg Banquet Center in O'Fallon. Cost is $35. St. Charles Democratic Club phone banking and meeting, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. June 18. Tri-County Legislative Club, Droste Road, St. Charles. Campaign training session for candidates, and volunteers, June 25, at Spencer Road Library in St. Peters. Learn more by calling Cheryl, 636-272-8160. Upcoming Republican Events: …
Republicans Todd Akin, John Brunner and Sarah Steelman will debate at 7:30 p.m. June 11 in St. Charles at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts on Lindenwood University's campus. The three are vying for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. Voters will choose their nominee in August and that person will face Sen. Claire McCaskill in November. The moderator is Jamie Allman, of 97.1 FM, which will broadcast the debate live. Panelists include Dana Loesch, of 97.1 FM, Mike Ferguson of Missouri News Horizon, Betsy Bruce of KTVI and Dan Nowak, a police officer and student at Lindenwood …
County Executive Steve Ehlmann and Director of Administration Chuck Gross both endorsed Sarah Steelman as the republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat. Both Ehlmann and Gross worked alongside Steelman in the Missouri State Senate. Gross was the chair of the appropriations committee and Ehlmann was the Republican Floor leader. “Sarah knows how to make her presence known," said Ehlmann in a press release. "If you were on the other side of the issue with Sarah, you had best come prepared. There isn’t an ounce of backing down in her and we need that type of fight representing Missourians in …
St. Charles Patch recently reported on efforts by Missouri's U.S. senators aimed at forestalling closures at rural post offices. This week, versions of both amendments made it onto a broader bill aimed at restructuring the United States Postal Service. That broader piece of legislation passed Wednesday by a 62-37 margin, and puts off the potential for ending Saturday delivery for another two years. The bill now goes back to the U.S. House. Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) amendment, modified from the original version, would essentially place a yearlong moratorium on closing rural post offices, …
Just a reminder for those who may have forgotten: St. Charles County Republicans will hold its presidential caucus at 7 p.m. next Tuesday at the St. Charles County Convention Center. The first attempt at caucuses was turbulent, to say the least. David Cole, chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, will serve as the temporary chairman for this caucus. The party’s general counsel will serve as the parliamentarian. Recording devices, which sparked the first caucus to dissolve, will be permitted. The results of the caucus could have major implications in how delegates for the 2nd and 3rd …
Missouri’s first round of caucuses are now over, leaving behind a virtual trail of tranquility and chaos. Chaos was the case in St. Peters, where the St. Charles County Republican Caucus ended without any delegates being allocated. The confrontational event became a national story, resulting in stories both on CNN and in the New York Times. (Click here for St. Charles Patch’s two-part series on what exactly happened at the event.) Because of that event, and other examples of confusion detailed in the national and local media, the GOP caucuses were generally perceived of being chaotic and …
This column took note a couple of weeks ago of a bid to designate St. Louis Brewery and the Boulevard Brewing Company as the official brewers of Missouri. That effort was all well and good, but it pales in comparison to an effort to enshrine Jim the Wonder Dog as the official historical state dog of Missouri. For those who may not know, Jim the Wonder Dog was an amazing canine from Marshall, MO. Legend has it that Jim the Wonder Dog could understand multiple languages and correctly guess the winner of sporting events. And according to former Columbia Tribune photographer Jenna Isaacson …
The kickoff of Missouri’s biennial filing day is often littered with surprises. But this year’s iteration may have taken the cake. Obviously, the biggest news is U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan’s decision to run in the 1st Congressional District. The St. Louis City Democrat had considered running in the GOP-leaning 2nd Congressional District, but instead decided to enter into a race that will have him battling U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis City). That race will be closely watched, since the district that encompasses all of St. Louis City and some of St. Louis County has a heavy Democratic lean. In…
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, the …
The word “non-binding” was thrown around often when either previewing or analyzing Missouri’s GOP primary. And with good reason: The real battle for delegates will take place at the party’s March caucuses. Although former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum easily won Missouri's Republican primary, it doesn't necessarily ensure that he'll get the Show Me State's delegates. Santorum's primary victory–along with wins in the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses–helped revive the former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The delegate situation will be decided at the …
According to her primary opponent, Randy Jotte, it seems Ann Wagner's campaign forgot she has an opponent in the primary — an oversight the campaign acknowledged, blaming a fundraising worker in Washington, DC. Jotte, of Webster Groves, forwarded Patch a Feb. 8 email from one of Wagner's campaign team members regarding Wagner's upcoming visit to Washington, D.C. The email reads in part: I wanted to see if you are available to help Ann Wagner out on her next trip to DC – we have a few events as well as 1-1 coffee times available. Her primary opponent got out of the race last month and along …
Campaigns these days can no longer just rely on advertisements and direct mail to deliver a message. They also need to have a quick-fire presence on the Web. That aforementioned statement is not necessarily revolutionary. Campaigns have used the Web as both a messaging tool and an opposition research mechanism for more than a decade. But with more and more people getting information about politics and politicians through the Web, the demand is high for manpower to update Twitter pages, fill Facebook pages, manage e-mail lists and organize YouTube videos. For instance, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D…
Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling released a survey on Wednesday showing U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) tied with all three of her potential GOP opponents. Noting that things "could not be any closer in Claire McCaskill’s bid for re-election," a news release from the company noted that the freshman Missouri Senator ties each of her three prospective Republican opponents―Frontenac businessman John Brunner, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman―at 43 percent. That prompted Dean Debnam, the president of Public Policy Polling, to note that McCaskill is “…
Whether it’s Missouri’s State of the State or the United States' State of Union, a chief executive’s speech to a legislative body typically makes reporters’ inboxes balloon. And it’s not just because Harry & David’s sends an unusually large amount emails advertising its latest delicious sale. Rather, lawmakers tend to enjoy providing snap reactions to high-profile events. That was certainly the case earlier this month when Gov. Jay Nixon gave his State of the State address. And it was also what happened when President Barack Obama’s State of the Union delivered his State of the Union earlier …
For procrastinators, Wednesday was especially difficult. That’s because seemingly essential websites, such as Wikipedia, were blacked out to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act. The House bill, commonly known as SOPA, and the Senate legislation, known as PIPA, are attempts at curbing piracy of popular media, such as movies and music. But many opponents say the bills could have a much farther-reaching impact that could shut down sites, such as the aforementioned free online encyclopedia. Thus, Wednesday became the day where many sites opposed to the measures spoke out and …
As noted numerous times before, the GOP process for selecting presidential delegates is not exactly straightforward. Even though there’s a primary in February, as of now delegates will be selected at caucuses held in March. In attempt to sort the situation out for area Republicans, state Rep. Rick Stream, R-Kirkwood, is planning a “Presidential Primary Preview” at Westminster Christian Academy in Town & Country. The event will feature an explanation of the state’s presidential delegate situation by Missouri Republican Party political director Robert Knodell. In addition to a straw poll and …
Every so often, Gov. Jay Nixon taps some notable names to fill the nearly endless stream of posts in state government. Wednesday was no exception, as the Democratic governor picked several familiar faces from the St. Louis metro area for appointments. For example, Nixon re-appointed John C. Hanneke of St. Charles to the Credit Union Commission, which creates regulations relating to credit unions. Hanneke is retired from Boeing and served positions in St. Charles City and County government. He's served a term on the county council and as chairman of the St. Charles Fire Protection District. …
