Now that the filing period to sign up for state legislative races is over, things are beginning to be a little clearer about what’s to come during the impending election cycle. Locally the main event will most likely be the 1st Congressional District race that features Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis City) and Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis City). Barring a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that chucks the redistricted congressional map, both candidates remain on the ballot to run in the district that includes all of St. Louis City and a portion of St. Louis County. The battle between Clay and Carnahan …

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 Wentzville 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 …

After weeks of explanations and prognostications, caucus time is only days away for most Republicans in the St. Louis metro area. In most years, caucuses are simply a mechanism to approve delegates of whoever prevailed in the Republican primary. But due to the Missouri legislature not moving the primary date, the Missouri Republican Party decided to utilize caucuses as the mechanism to allocate delegates. A previous column explained the process. And the Missouri Republican Party put information about the event on its website. St. Louis County is selecting delegates by township, so here's the …

After more twists and turns than a Six Flags roller-coaster, redistricting has been nothing short of a harrowing experience. But is it possible that state Senate redistricting could be reaching some sort of conclusion? Maybe. And that's because Friday is the deadline for feedback for a tentative Senate map that was approved by a bipartisan commission a couple of weeks ago. The lines have to be redrawn every 10 years to conform to population shifts throughout the state. The response, of course, hasn’t been universally favorable. While some lawmakers, such as Sen. Brian Nieves (R-Washington), …

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 1stCongressional District, which includes University City. The St. Louis City Democrat had considered running in the GOP-leaning 2nd Congressional District, which now includes Creve Coeur after redistricting, 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…

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 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…

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 utilized the web as both a messaging tool and an opposition research mechanism for well over 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, U.S. Sen. Claire …

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, Rep. Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood) is planning a “Presidential Primary Preview” at Westminster Christian Academy in Town and 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 …