Republicans

The Republican senator expects Republicans will work on overhauling the country’s tax code and pare down governmental regulations priorities. He cast doubt that lawmakers will have enough support to curtail abortion access nationwide.

Missouri residents voted to legalize abortion, overturning one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation. They also voted to raise the minimum wage and send Josh Hawley back to the U.S. Senate. In Kansas, voters reelected Sharice Davids to the U.S. House. Plus, Kansas City and Johnson County voters made big decisions about their top law enforcement officials.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Missouri and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Kansas (although Johnson County opens an hour earlier!). With the U.S. presidential race at the top of the ticket, and a critical abortion rights amendment plus statewide and congressional races below, it's a stacked election. We break down the races on both sides of the state line.

Racist and nativist rhetoric has made headlines in the 2024 election, and immigrants and refugees around Kansas City have taken notice. Plus: One of Missouri's few openly gay Republican lawmakers says his vote on transgender rights cost him his party's support — and reelection.

A survey of registered voters in four states showed a disconnect between policy rhetoric from lawmakers and candidates and what their constituents believe about a range of issues. We asked experts for an explanation.

As he runs for re-election this November, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s about-face on right to work is seen by some as a welcome shift toward pro-labor policy and by others as election year pandering.

An increasingly popular way for political campaigns to connect to voters is through text messaging. And while you may find them annoying — they're probably working. Plus, Kansas Democrats are hoping to flip enough seats in the state Legislature to get rid of the Republican supermajority.

Missouri and Kansas voters went to the polls Tuesday for a number of primary elections. Among the winners was U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Lucas Kunce, who faces an uphill battle to unseat Republican incumbent Josh Hawley in November. He joined KCUR's Up To Date to talk about the race.

Attacking Kansas City and St. Louis has become standard practice for Missouri Republicans running for office. But that rhetoric, paired with actions they take in the legislature, has increasingly made it difficult for city leaders to get things done. Plus: Polling places have been decreasing across Kansas City due to safety concerns, but voter turnout hasn't.

GOP candidates often paint Missouri’s biggest cities as hotbeds for crime and lawlessness. Then they translate that into pushing laws in the statehouse that restrict the power of city leaders.

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.

Missouri Republicans campaigning for lieutenant governor in the August primary are making it one of the year's most crowded races, including two state senators, an attorney, a county clerk and a businessman.