Podcast (10/13): The Missouri Republican caucuses

The Missouri Republican Party recently voted to switch from a primary to a caucus for selecting its presidential candidate in 2012. Under the new system, the party will select delegates through a multilevel process: County level caucuses (March 17, 2012): Each county will hold a caucus to select delegates for the congressional district convention. The [...]

All Table Rock Lake fishing events canceled through May 8

All regatta/fishing tournament permits for Table Rock Lake have been canceled through May 8, the Missouri Water Patrol announced yesterday. Among the cancellations: two major national fishing tournaments. The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open was scheduled to start today but has been postponed. It will likely be rescheduled for October, according to ESPN. The [...]

Interview with Live Free Springfield chairman Dave Myers

By Kory Mitchell SGFNews In the debate over Springfield’s smoking ban, Live Free Springfield has risen as a voice of opposition. “We want to give people as much information as we can to make their own decision,” the group’s chairman, Dave Myers, told SGFNews in an interview this week. “We are not a pro-smoking group; [...]

Daily brief (1/6): Top picks from the Springfield media

Today brings mostly sunny skies with a high near 48 and wind chill values as low as 19 early. West winds prevail between 8 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Today’s picks: News-Leader: Oath starts off new term for local representatives. It is official: Republican Billy Long is Springfield’s newest congressman. [...]

The Nov. 2 mid-terms: A post-election chat with Dr. Daniel Ponder

Dr. Daniel Ponder, associate professor of political science at Drury University, shared his take on the election results from the Nov. 2 mid-term in Missouri. The biggest surprise of the night in Missouri for Ponder? The defeat of U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, a 17-term incumbent from Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, by Vicki Hartzler. Listen to [...]

E-mails, campaign finance: Down to the wire in the 7th District

The candidates seeking to replace Roy Blunt in Missouri’s 7th Congressional District are sprinting up to the finish line. On Friday, a new flap arose over a fake e-mail from scott.eckersley@yahoo.com. In the message sent to local media organizations, the author — posing as someone from Democrat Scott Eckersley’s campaign — said Eckersley was withdrawing [...]

7th District: Oct. 19 debate in Willard

Thanks to Drury student Allyson Strickland, we have another debate transcript available for download. This transcript covers the Oct. 19th debate in Willard between Libertarian Kevin Craig, Democrat Scott Eckersley, and Republican Billy Long. Thanks to Ozarks blogger Randy Turner, who posted a full video of the debate. The event was sponsored by the Y.O.U.N.G. [...]

Former opponent endorses Long

Former Republican candidate Jeff Wisdom has endorsed Billy Long in the 7th Congressional District race, according to the News-Leader. In a written statement, Wisdom said: I hereby pledge my full support for Billy Long and his campaign in their quest to win the Seventh District congressional seat in November. He had previously said he wouldn’t [...]

Debating the debates: Eckersley and Long trying to work out details

In this morning’s edition, the Springfield News-Leader recounts the time line for a series of 7th District debates between Billy Long (R) and Scott Eckersley (D). Shortly after the primary results were in, Eckersley proposed a series of 10 debates with Long, saying in a news release (PDF): “The debates would be held on the [...]

7th District candidates spent more than $1 million in primary

Missouri’s competitive race for the 7th Congressional District brought out the candidates and the money. Eleven candidates — two Democrats, one Libertarian, and eight Republicans — were vying for the nominations of their parties. In all, candidates spent more than $1.2 million on the race, most of which was spent in the crowded Republican field. [...]