Missouri Independent
@missouriindependent.com
Missouri Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization covering state government, politics and policy.
People Not Politicians wants a Cole County judge to reverse Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and prohibit use of the gerrymandered map. #moleg #mogov
Referendum campaign asks court to block new Missouri map from November election • Missouri Independent
The campaign seeking a public vote on Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional map is asking a Cole County judge to do more than put the referendum on the November ballot.
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Missouri Republicans ousted a sitting state senator and split their verdict among insurgents and establishment-backed candidates in a Tuesday primary that reshaped the likely balance inside a Republican caucus already facing significant turnover. #moleg #mogov
Missouri senator running for majority leader loses GOP primary • Missouri Independent
Missouri Republicans ousted a sitting state senator and split their verdict among insurgents and establishment-backed candidates in a Tuesday primary that reshaped the likely balance inside a Republic...
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Chris Stigall wins Republican primary for Missouri’s 6th Congressional District #moleg #mogov
Chris Stigall wins Republican primary for Missouri’s 6th Congressional District • Missouri Independent
Conservative talk radio host Chris Stigall triumphed in a five-way Republican primary for Missouri’s 6th Congressional district on Tuesday.
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Rick Brattin wins Missouri 5th District GOP primary amid uncertainty over district lines #moleg #mogov
Rick Brattin wins Missouri 5th District GOP primary amid uncertainty over district lines • Missouri Independent
A late endorsement from President Donald Trump boosted state Sen. Rick Brattin to the Republican nomination for Congress in Missouri’s 5th District Tuesday against former Boone County Clerk Taylor Bur...
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Missouri voters reject income tax phaseout, initiative petition changes #moleg #mogov
Missouri voters reject income tax phaseout, initiative petition changes • Missouri Independent
Missouri voters resoundingly rejected major Republican priorities on Tuesday as proposals to eliminate the income tax and change the way majorities are counted lost by large margins across the state.
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Wesley Bell beats Cori Bush in Democratic primary for St. Louis congressional seat #moleg #mogov
Wesley Bell beats Cori Bush in Democratic primary for St. Louis congressional seat • Missouri Independent
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell staved off former Congresswoman Cori Bush in the Democratic primary for the 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, ending the most expensive candidate primary in Missou...
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Denny Hoskins argues the Missouri Constitution does not allow a referendum on a congressional redistricting plan while refusing to say whether enough signatures had been collected to place the congressional map on the ballot. #moleg #mogov
Missouri redistricting referendum blocked by secretary of state, drawing lawsuit • Missouri Independent
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins blocked a vote on the state's congressional map declaring a referendum petition unconstitutional.
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About 3,220 Missourians obtained medication abortions through telehealth from out-of-state clinicians in 2025 — up from roughly 880 two years earlier. #moleg #mogov
Missourians getting abortion pills by mail from out-of-state providers quadrupled since 2023 • Missouri Independent
Missouri follows a national trend of growing access to abortion pills through out-of-state telehealth providers.
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Secretary of State Denny Hoskins forecasts 32% turnout — potentially the highest vote for a primary since 2004 — as nearly $40 million floods Amendments 4 and 5 and outside money reshapes congressional races. #moleg #mogov
Missouri turnout could hit 1.4 million as ballot measures drive primary interest • Missouri Independent
Missouri election officials expect as many as 1.4 million voters will cast ballots by the time primary election polls close Tuesday night.
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Physicians pushing to end managed care say the state is paying private insurers for overhead it doesn’t need. Insurers say that overhead buys better care. #moleg #mogov
Amid federal changes, advocates question the role of private insurers in Missouri Medicaid • Missouri Independent
Physicians pushing to end managed care say the state pays private insurers for unneeded overhead. Insurers say that overhead buys better care
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Gov. Mike Kehoe appointed a Kansas City math teacher to the State Board of Education Thursday, filling an advisory position reserved for a classroom teacher that has been vacant since lawmakers created it eight years ago. #moleg #mogov
Missouri governor fills long-vacant teacher seat on state education board • Missouri Independent
Gov. Mike Kehoe appoints a former St. Louis mayor and a Kansas City math teacher to the State Board of Education.
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When lawmakers met last summer to pass legislation providing state support for stadiums, they included property tax caps and freezes for 97 of Missouri’s 114 counties. A lawsuit asks for the tax provisions to be thrown out as unconstitutional. #moleg #mogov
Judge promises quick decision on challenge to Missouri property tax caps • Missouri Independent
A Cole County judge said he will rule quickly on a case that will determine if Missouri property tax caps voted on in April take effect.
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Ballot measure spending continues to dominate this year’s elections. Backers of Amendment 5 are outspending opponents by about 4-to-1 in broadcast ads, while opponents of Amendment 4 are almost unchallenged on the airwaves. #moleg #mogov
Campaign spending accelerates as Missouri primary election draws near • Missouri Independent
Ballot measure campaigns raised almost $40 million as they paid for ads and direct mail appeals bombarding Missourians ahead of the primary.
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After Daniel Boone Regional Library held an LGBTQ+ story time, Missouri Republicans said they would target its funding — and change state law if the reading was legal. #moleg #mogov
Missouri Republicans threaten library funding over ‘rainbow story time’ • Missouri Independent
After a library held a LGBTQ+ themed story time, Missouri Republican officials vowed to defund the library and set stricter laws.
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It’s been nearly 21 years since Missourians living in Springfield could access abortion without driving at least a couple hours. That ended Monday. #moleg #mogov
Abortion returns to southwest Missouri after more than two decades without local access • Missouri Independent
The last time Missourians could access abortion in Springfield was in 2005, before Springfield Healthcare Center closed after three decades in business.
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Missouri's treasurer's office exposed student voucher recipients' names, told families it was nothing to worry about, and blamed its software vendor. The vendor says it hands the state unredacted data and has no say in what gets posted. #moleg #mogov
After voucher data leak, Missouri treasurer's office pointed at its contractor • Missouri Independent
When MOScholars student information was found in a report on the Missouri Treasurer's website, his office looked to their software provider.
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Missouri withdrew this week from a multi-state lawsuit seeking to strike down a part of federal law requiring states to provide services to allow people with disabilities to live in their communities instead of institutions. #moleg #mogov
Missouri drops out of lawsuit challenging federal disability rights protections • Missouri Independent
Missouri withdrew from a lawsuit targeting a part of federal law that requires states to fund community-based disability services.
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Nearly 80% of the pregnancy-related deaths reviewed were preventable — again — as advocates worry budget woes could set back statewide efforts to keep more mothers alive. #moleg #mogov
Missouri maternal deaths remain mostly preventable, sixth state report finds • Missouri Independent
The latest report does not yet account for deaths in 2024 and 2025, after which the state rolled out initiatives aimed at reducing poor maternal outcomes.
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The death of 44-year-old Lloyd Gilmore after he sought help from Sikeston police has renewed long-standing concerns about racial bias, accountability and deaths in custody. #moleg #mogov
After a man dies in police custody, residents in a Missouri town demand answers • Missouri Independent
The death of Lloyd Gilmore after he sought help from Sikeston police renews concerns about racial bias, accountability and deaths in custody.
missouriindependent.com
Without a contested statewide candidate primary, Amendments 4 and 5, along with congressional primaries, are the main attractions for voters. #moleg #mogov
Missouri early voting period opens with a rush that points to high primary turnout • Missouri Independent
The first day of early voting in Missouri indicates a strong primary turnout, comparable to past primaries where hotly contested ballot measures drew more votes than candidate races.
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J&J Ventures has poured $266,000 into a PAC targeting Hannah Kelly while backing Bill Hardwick, sponsor of legislation to legalize the company’s machines. #moleg #mogov
Gambling company bankrolls attacks in Missouri Senate District 16 GOP primary • Missouri Independent
An Illinois gambling company seeking to legalize video lottery terminals in Missouri is financing a campaign to help its favored candidate in a state Senate race.
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The complaints center on $165,000 his former state campaign sent to a nonprofit that later gave nearly the same amount to a super PAC backing his congressional bid. #moleg #mogov
Graves-linked group alleges Nathan Willett violated state, federal campaign-finance laws • Missouri Independent
The complaints center on $165,000 his former state campaign sent to a nonprofit that later gave nearly the same amount to a super PAC backing his congressional bid
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Six candidates are running in a district redrawn to favor Republicans, but its boundaries could still change after the Aug. 4 primary. #moleg #mogov
Uncertain congressional map hangs over Missouri’s crowded 5th District GOP primary • Missouri Independent
The Republican nomination in Missouri’s 5th Congressional District could, after the Aug. 4 primary, become a prize not worth having.
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One in five Missouri children eligible for state-paid childcare services isn’t receiving help because there isn’t enough money in the state budget. #moleg #mogov
Missouri shelves childcare payment overhaul as thousands remain on waitlist • Missouri Independent
More than 4,000 families are on the waiting list for help covering the cost of childcare through the state's childcare subsidy program.
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Ballot measure fights are consuming the big money in Missouri elections this summer, with more than $27 million raised for proposals on the Aug. 4 ballot, according to reports filed last week with state and federal authorities. (from @missouriindependent.com)
Missouri ballot measure campaigns dominate fundraising and spending for August primary
Broadcast ad spending on Amendments 4 and 5 is approaching $9 million as the days run down before the Aug. 4 vote.
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PAC attack mailers bring backlash in GOP primary race for Missouri’s 28th state Senate District #moleg #mogov
PAC attack mailers bring backlash in GOP primary race for Missouri's 28th state Senate District • Missouri Independent
State Rep. Brad Pollitt, Sam Alexander and Chuck Lentz are in the race for the senate seat in Missouri's 28th District.
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Missouri Republicans push change that would make it harder to collect taxes on private planes missouriindependent.com/2026/07/10/m...
Missouri Republicans push change that would make it harder to collect taxes on private planes • Missouri Independent
U.S. Rep. Bob Onder wrote the proposal. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves helped advance it. Missouri’s own tax officials say they are already losing the ability to find the planes.
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Every good hustle needs a snappy name, and for a long time Missouri had a beauty: gray market games. #moleg #mogov
Missouri’s ‘gray market’ gambling fight was never as gray as advertised • Missouri Independent
Every good hustle needs a snappy name, and for a long time Missouri had a beauty: gray market games.
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The Aug. 4 proposal would require citizen-led amendments to win in every congressional district, turning the ballot fight into a debate over who speaks for voters outside Missouri’s big cities. #moleg #mogov
Amendment 4 puts rural Missouri at center of fight over ballot power • Missouri Independent
The Aug. 4 proposal would require citizen-led amendments to win in every congressional district, turning the ballot fight into a debate over who speaks for voters outside Missouri’s big cities
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