Elections
Missouri Attorney General candidates divided on key criminal justice reform
St. Louis-native Lamar Johnson has spent 26 years in prison praying that someone would hear his case. In August 2019, that day almost came. “I finally got taken back to St. Louis, and freedom is just right there,” Johnson said in a phone call with The Independent from Jefferson City Correctional Center. “And it was […]
Remembering former Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, 20 years after his sudden death
Today many young people are casting their first votes with no living memory of Missouri’s 2000 general election. But it’s worth remembering for an outcome unprecedented in American history: A deceased man was elected United States senator. More importantly, though, it’s worth remembering because of the man elected that night back in November 2000: two-term […]
‘Big money bat signal’: Galloway campaign accused of sidestepping ban on coordination
In late September, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Nicole Galloway’s campaign laid out a stinging critique of Gov. Mike Parson’s health care record on a section of its website titled “Important Election Update.” Parson “cut 100,000 kids from their health care,” the site declared, “and he opposes Medicaid expansion that would give 250,000 working people health care […]
Missouri highway patrol investigating hoax text claiming Rowden quitting politics
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating a hoax text message sent Saturday night claiming state Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, was quitting his re-election campaign. The text, sent from a telephone with a 573 area code, began “Dear Voter” and reported that “family matters” that required “my immediate and undivided attention” were forcing […]
Social media ads another battleground to reach voters in Missouri governor’s race
Depending on your data and interests collected on Facebook, the advertisements pushed online by the two leading candidates for Missouri governor tell two very different stories. In the spring and early summer, Gov. Mike Parson’s Facebook advertisements focused on his pandemic response and restarting the economy. By July, when cases rose to more than 1,000 […]
Groups work to energize Missouri’s Black voters in election’s final weeks
All summer and into the fall, the Rev. Michelle Higgins has set aside any thought of leisurely weekends with her family. Instead, she and her two children have been out knocking on doors. “My children’s weekend outings are canvassing and getting to know neighbors around our church building for a specific purpose — and that […]