Missouri GOP

Schisms between GOP leadership and more conservative members have been an ongoing storyline in recent legislative history.

For the first time since 2018, Missouri lawmakers will work with a new governor. While outgoing Gov. Mike Parson pushed a more budget-focused agenda, Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe already has established policy goals — and a Republican supermajority to accomplish them with.

Abortion access, taxes and public safety will be priorities when the Missouri General Assembly begins the 2025 legislative session on Jan. 8. The incoming House Minority Leader and Senate Majority Leader, both of whom come from the Kansas City area, discuss their approach to getting bills across the finish line.

Pre-filed bills aim to prevent transgender Missourians from using their gender identity on state-issued licenses. Current policy requires a person to provide proof of gender transition surgery to change their gender marker, which LGBTQ advocates say is discriminatory.

Missouri's Republican Party continues to hold a supermajority in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Several Kansas City-area legislators are among the new leadership teams.

Republican Mike Kehoe, who won the race for Missouri governor this week, acknowledged that some residents were uncomfortable with the state’s near-total abortion ban. He said that lawmakers are still discussing how they'll respond to the passage of Amendment 3.

Whether or not Democrats can deny the GOP its veto-proof majority on Tuesday will come down to a handful of districts across the state, including races in Jackson County and Clay County.

Lee's Summit Rep. Jon Patterson, who is expected to become the Missouri House Speaker, says he doesn’t support Amendment 3. But he thinks the legislature should accept the results if voters reverse the state's near-total abortion ban.

Mike Kehoe, Jay Ashcroft and Bill Eigel all got Trump’s approval for Missouri governor. The three candidates share similar policies, but vary in style.

In 2022, residents of this district told reporters they felt forgotten by elected officials. On a return visit, we heard from voters that long-serving U.S. Rep. Sam Graves doesn’t spend much time connecting with constituents here. Still, with wide support, he’s destined for a 12th term.

Eigel, a state senator from Weldon Spring and a member of the far-right Missouri Freedom Caucus, was previously considered unlikely to win the Republican nomination to replace Gov. Mike Parson, but polls now show a tighter race. Here's where he stands on some of the biggest issues facing the state, including abortion, immigration, and tax cuts.

The restored delegates include two of the major GOP candidates for governor, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel. A committee overturned the July 3 decision to replace those and other delegates to the Milwaukee convention.