Politics
BOONVILLE – U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday that he will participate in moderated television debates with Democrat Lucas Kunce, but first he wants Kunce to agree to debate without moderators at the Missouri State Fair. In response, Kunce said he will take part in the Lincoln-Douglas style debate Hawley wants, but first the incumbent…
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QUINCY — The office of City Clerk Laura Oakman, local election official in and for the City of Quincy at 730 Maine, Suite 129, recently announced that petitions for independent candidates in the April 1, 2025, consolidated general election will be available Aug. 20. The first day to file independent petitions in the office of…
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Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, on Wednesday said he will leave his post after almost nine years on the job. McKenna announced his decision near the end of a meeting of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in Poplar Bluff. He did not give a date for his departure and did not return messages seeking…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) is one of five Illinois State Senators who have received the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Guardian of Small Business Award. “Small businesses are the bedrock of our state’s economy, so it is important to support the legislation that helps them succeed and to oppose the…
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CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton issued a news release Tuesday night, calling for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell following the death of Sonya Massey. A Sanagmon County deputy, Sean Grayson, was captured on video shooting and killing Massey on July 6. Grayson was fired and faces murder…
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I’ve always thought that true political talent is rooted in dexterity: the ability to appeal to a wide variety of constituencies without significant internal contradictions. Every politician starts with his or her base. Sometimes that base is ideological. Other times it is, racial, geographic or generational. Candidates with dexterity are not only able to expand…
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Missouri Republicans ratified Gov. Mike Parson’s choice of successor Tuesday by nominating Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, rejecting the scion of a veteran political family and the disruptive tactics of the GOP’s most vocal faction. Kehoe trailed Ashcroft in most polls until this summer, when the $16 million campaign warchest he amassed in his campaign fund and joint…
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ST. LOUIS – St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated U.S. Rep. Cori Bush in the Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st District Congressional seat on Tuesday, capping a showdown between the highest profile political figures to emerge from the Ferguson uprising 10 years ago. The Associated Press called the at 10 p.m. with Bell holding…
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Ralls County results Incumbent Brad Stinson is defeated by Brian Allen in the Republican primary for sheriff. Allen won with 57 percent of the vote. Stinson, who faced lawsuits from former employees regarding retaliation and harassment charges during his term, thanked his supporters on Facebook. “I wish to thank everyone for your support and encouragement,”…
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Months of campaigning and TV ad wars will come to a close Tuesday, as Missouri voters head to the polls to pick their party’s nominee for Congress, the state legislature and nearly every statewide office. The Independent tried to answer some of the questions you may have about voting in Missouri’s primary. What time do…
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There’s a lot more to the newly enacted law eliminating Illinois’ grocery tax in 2026. Local governments can now impose their own 1 percent tax, along with other sales tax increases. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday he signed House Bill 3144, touting relief he said the measure will bring. “Even with inflation cooling off every dollar…
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Attorneys on both sides of the federal corruption case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan didn’t agree on much this past month, but they are aligned on one thing: they’re prepared to go to trial on Oct. 8 in Chicago. The agreement to keep the already-delayed trial date in place kicked off a month…
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ROSEMONT – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at curtailing the practice of “captive audience” meetings – a strategy businesses sometimes use to dissuade workers from forming a union. The law, dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” was a top priority this spring for organized labor groups in Illinois, which played host…
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A Facebook post last week by state Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) created a stir, caused one of his fellow Democratic Senators to bow out of a planned joint fundraiser and, ultimately, the entire fundraiser was canceled. It’s all a good illustration of the ill-informed, rapid-fire insanity of our social media-fueled era. Sen. Preston posted an…
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In the winter, Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin said she would vote to expel state Sen. Bill Eigel. This summer, a political action committee connected to O’Laughlin is working to stop him from becoming governor. On July 5, the NEMO Leadership PAC — which was created to support O’Laughlin — contributed $100,000 to the Great Northwest PAC…
Read Full Article With less than a week before Tuesday’s primaries, statewide elected officials are doing what they can to use their jobs to grab last-minute headlines. On Thursday in Jefferson City, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft went first, holding a news conference to announce he is suing President Joe Biden and 15 federal department heads over a 2021…
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CHICAGO – Calls of “Justice for Sonya” rang through the sanctuary of a church on Chicago’s West Side on Tuesday at a rally hosted in response to the death of Sonya Massey on July 6. Massey, a Black woman, was killed in her home by Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson. Grayson, who is white,…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri will eliminate its division focused on diversity, social equity and inclusion on the Columbia campus, completing the dismantling of administrative structures put in place after protests in 2015 brought national attention to issues of racial equality. The move coincides with the departure of division Vice Chancellor Maurice Gipson. It is designed to…
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CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law Monday that expands insurance coverage during and after pregnancy with the goal of lowering infant and maternal mortality rates, especially for Black Illinoisans. The law requires insurers that provide state-regulated health care plans to cover pregnancy and postpartum services for covered individuals, including midwife services, doula visits, and lactation…
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A February poll of Republican primary voters showed Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft had the most recognizable name in the race for governor. That shouldn’t be surprising. Ashcroft has held statewide office for eight years, and his father John ran statewide seven times, winning five elections for state attorney general, governor and U.S. senator before becoming…
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Former President Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement in the Missouri GOP gubernatorial primary finally arrived Saturday night, with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel forced to share the honor. All three quickly crowed to supporters about Trump’s endorsement, never mentioning the fact that it was split three ways.…
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CUBA, Mo. — Mike Kehoe wanted to make one thing perfectly clear to the several dozen supporters of his campaign for governor who gathered earlier this month at Cowtown USA. “I don’t scream and holler about politics,” said Kehoe, Missouri’s lieutenant governor. “I’m running against people who are of the ‘burn it down’ variety. I’m just…
Read Full Article “I support Karina’s Law,” Gov. JB Pritzker emphatically told me. It’s the strongest statement he’s made about the bill which stalled in the Senate last spring. The proposal would mandate that police remove firearms from a person who has been served with a domestic violence order of protection. But there still appear to be some Pritzker…
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For most of his second term in the Missouri Senate, Bill Eigel has been a disruptor. First with a homegrown Republican faction called the Conservative Caucus, and then with a state chapter of the national Freedom Caucus, Eigel led a small group willing to torpedo legislation to make their points heard. It hasn’t won him many friends…
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SPRINGFIELD — The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed late Tuesday that it is “assessing the circumstances” surrounding the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black woman by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy. Benjamin Crump, renowned civil rights attorney who represents the family of the woman, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the DOJ had…
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