By Mark D. Pedersen
With so many political ads barraging us from television and radio, with outrageous claims and even deliberate misinformation, it’s hard to really know where the candidates stand on the issues that matter most to us. It’s scary realizing that there are forces seeking to steal all semblance of Democracy.
I know that I beat the “education” drum long and loud, but the fact is, the best defense against deception and graft is in fact education. Bigotry and corruption thrive in ignorance.
Let’s take a look at the candidate portion of the General Ballot. Of course, you will be voting on some local candidates that are specific to where you live. So, we’ll concentrate mostly on those that transcend all Missouri ballots.
Particularly with some state offices and judges, access to background information can be obscure to non-existent. Consequently, I may not have much to say about some. Hopefully though, this can be of help.
The descriptions that follow, apart from my comments, were drawn directly from the ballot that was mailed to me, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia and assorted public campaign sites.
Follow this link to the “Amendment and Proposition” portion of the General Ballot.
FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
– Donald Trump / JD Vance – Republican
– Kamala Harris / Tim Walz – Democrat
Chase Oliver / Mike Ter Maat – Libertarian
Jill Stein / Rudolph Ware – Green Party
My Comment (the President)
Most will agree that if Harris wins the Presidency and the next four years will be pretty much what we have seen over the last decade. What I have come to call “Fascism Lite”. Basically, minimal representation, but still opportunity for constituents to initiate change.
I would call a Trump victory, “Fascism XXX”. We can most certainly expect a profound difference in the way our Government functions. In question will be the continued existence of our Constitution, Social Security, a promised mass immigrant deportation, strict anti-abortion laws throughout the nation and Trump’s promised retribution on the less conservative press, as well as members of our Judicial system that were part of the investigation into his illegal activities.
Perhaps most troubling, how will “Project 2025 play into a Trump victory?
If you’re wondering why I am not including the Vice Presidential candidates, well, I value my sanity.
Much about the future of our nation will be determined by who is elected to this office. Though strong opinions have continued to be voiced from the citizenry, as well as the candidates, if the truth be known, our votes – our will – is overshadowed by the Electoral College. I’ll try my best to describe exactly what it is.
For the last sixty years, I have been told that we live in a Democracy and that we directly determine the destiny of our nation through our “God given right as an American” to VOTE. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
Actually, as I understand it, each party assembles a list of prospective electors to represent their party in each state. Then they wait for the majority vote to be tabulated. A sum of the number of votes cast for each candidate in each district is equated to how many electors each party can have representing them in the REAL election, the “meeting of electors” that follows the General Election.
According to the LAW & CRIME website, most state electors are required by law to vote for the President that represents their party affiliation. But, a New York Times article sighted a recent decision in Federal Appeals Court. It was stated,
“The text of the Constitution makes clear that states do not have the constitutional authority to interfere with presidential electors who exercise their constitutional right to vote for the president and vice president candidates of their choice.” The court majority wrote in a split ruling by a three-judge panel.”
Here in Missouri, through this system, the Democrat and Republican Parties will divide up a total of 10 electoral votes. Nationally, there are a total of 538 that will be doled out. The next Presidential Candidate would be required to secure at least 270 to win.
According to those in the know, Arizona (11), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), Nevada (6), North Carolina (16), Pennsylvania (19) and Wisconsin (10) will determine the next Commander in Chief.
FOR UNITED STATES SENATOR
– Josh_Hawley – Republican
– Lucas Kunce – Democrat
W.C Young – Libertarian
Jared Young – Independent
Nathan Kline – Green Party
My Comment (Hawley / Kunce)
Though there are five candidates, we all know that there are really only two choices. Here in Missouri, there will be a strong leaning to the Republican candidates, the nature of this state. Curiously though, Kunce, the Democrat candidate has what appears to be VERY strong Republican leanings, comparing himself to Rep. Roy Blunt, expounding in his ads regarding how he is personally going to “fix the border”, and how he can work with “either President”. He even went so far as to announce publicly that he was in league with Trump regarding IVF.
Lucas is quite proud of his Marine service and expounded on it on his website and TV ads. While he was stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was exposed to toxic burn pits. Consequently, like so many Veterans that I have interviewed, he came away with chronic respiratory issues.
If he makes it to Congress, here’s hoping that he’ll be sensitive to the millions of families that lost so much because of the Iraq/Afghanistan debacle.
Kunce is a strong believer in a woman’s right to abortion.
He also calls himself a “Populist”, wanting to ban stock ownership for members of Congress. He wants to break up corporate monopolies and end foreign ownership of agricultural land.
Republican Candidate Josh Hawley, also a Yale graduate, served as Attorney General for Missouri until 2019 when he assumed the office with the U.S. Senate. He is a strong supporter of Trump and his policies. Hawley has publicly confessed to being a “Christian Nationalist”. He has taken a very public stance against abortion and has championed the plight of those in the St. Louis area who were exposed to nuclear radiation.
FOR GOVERNOR
– Mike Kehoe – Republican
– Crystal Quade – Democrat
Bill Slantz – Libertarian
Paul Lehmann – Green Party
My Comment (Kehoe / Quade)
Kehoe is Missouri’s current Lieutenant Governor, though he attained the office under questionable circumstances. Curiously, Mike has received significant campaign donations from Rex Sinquefield, “one of our nation’s biggest right-wing contributors, and the biggest Republican spender in Missouri”. He has also received donations from Torch electronics, purveyor of unregulated slot machines in the state, “Good Day Farms”, a Cannabis company and various “businesses that bid for state contracts”. And of course, as you probably would guess, He is also a VERY proud supporter of all that is Trump. He expounds on the propaganda generated by his apparent mentor, particularly “the border” and his opposition to abortion. Mike also wants to do away with State Income Tax but has yet to pose a plan to accomplish it.
Quade, a graduate of Missouri State University, is Missouri’s current Minority Leader for the Missouri House of Representatives, serving the 132nd district.
She has stated that she’s running for Governor to take on extremists in Jefferson City who have sought to ban abortion, birth control and IVF… those who will put the interests of wealthy political insiders above what is best for Missouri families.” She is also concerned about China and Russia buying up our nation’s farmland.
FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
– Dave Wasinger – Republican
– Richard Brown – Democrat
Ken Iverson – Libertarian
Danielle Elliott – Green Party
My Comment (Wasinger / Brown)
Wasinger is a staunch anti-abortionist and an America First conservative. This links him closely with Trump. It was difficult carving through all the fluff to find accomplishments. Most of what I found was Right Wing propaganda. Basically, Wasinger worked in private practice – business law prior to his campaign for office.
Brown worked as an educator in Kansas City public schools prior to public service. He is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing District 27. Brown has focused on gun reform and received endorsements from Abortion Action Missouri, Gun Sense Voter, Indivisible St. Louis and Moms Demand Action.
America First refers to a populist political theory that emphasizes focusing solely on domestic policy. It originated in 1850 with the Nativist American Party. Through the years, it has been used by both Republicans and Democrats to promote separation from other nations. Trump revived the idea in 2015 as a campaign slogan. It’s become a common catch-phrase throughout the Republican Party.
FOR SECRETARY OF STATE
– Denny Hoskins – Republican
– Barbara Phiffer – Democrat
Carl Freese – Libertarian
Jerome Bauer – Green Party
My Comment (Hoskins / Phiffer)
Hoskins worked as an audit partner with Taylor, Hoskins & Shaw and a financial advisor with the Murdock Banner Financial Group. He was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, representing District 54, leaving office in 2017.
Hoskin is a strong proponent of anti-abortion legislation. He is also outspoken regarding “election integrity” propaganda. Hoskins believes students should be banned from competing in sports if they don’t match their biological gender. His Senate Bill 236 was signed by the Governor in 2023. It banned transgender surgeries for Missouri children.
Phiffer became a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, representing District 90 in 2021. She has worked as a minister, having graduated from Cornell College and St. Paul School of Theology. Phiffer has been endorsed by Abortion Action Missouri, being a strong supporter of reproductive rights, consistently defending working families, women’s rights, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Phiffer believes, “A key responsibility of the office is writing clear, unbiased ballot language for constitutional amendments and initiatives. The potential for misleading or manipulative language is a real threat, and the Secretary of State must act as a neutral arbiter to ensure voters fully understand what they are deciding. Manipulating ballot language or pushing biased interpretations risks disenfranchising voters and weakening our democratic process.”
She believes that elections should be free, fair, transparent, and accessible to every eligible voter. She wants to expand early voting, supporting absentee voting, and ensuring secure, nonpartisan elections.
Ballot Initiative
A special note from me: If you have read ANY of my articles regarding Cannabis reform, you most certainly know how I stand on the initiative process. The Republican Party has, for a number of years now strive to limit, even eliminate our right to the Ballot Initiative in a number of states. They know that without it, we would be at the mercy of the “professional” lawmakers. Whenever possible, we must push back against fascist moves like this. It was only through ballot initiatives that laws regarding Cannabis finally began to change. Accomplishing REAL legalization will not happen without again utilizing the right to initiative.
FOR STATE TREASURER
– Vivek Malek – Republican
– Mark Osmack – Democrat
John Hartwig, Jr. – Libertarian
Reagan Haase – Green Party
My Comment (Malek / Osmack)
Incumbent, Malek began practicing law in 2006, establishing a law firm in 2011 focused on immigration law. He worked in real estate with Nathan Cooper, with whom he had previously been employed. Cooper became notorious in St. Louis for unmaintained rental properties.
Malek was appointed State Treasurer by Governor Parson in 2022, being the first person of color to hold a statewide office in Missouri.
Malek increased efforts to return unclaimed property, returning more than previous treasurers. Unfortunately, he drew criticism for making a deal with Torch Electronics, a company that was in an ongoing legal battle with the state.
Malek is an outspoken supporter of Trump and his policies.
Osmack is the director of government relations for the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO). Previously, he served in the U.S. Army, having been deployed to Germany and Afghanistan.
As Treasurer, Osmack wants to require that Missouri public schools serve food raised and grown in Missouri. He believes that through the initiative “Mo Ag for Kids” , they could significantly help end hunger throughout the state. He would also like to eliminate financial restrictions for school breakfasts and lunches.
He would also like to limit funding for the Missouri Army National Guard and Missouri Highway Patrol in order to restrict efforts to instate efforts, rather than “deploying” them to other states.
FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
– Andrew Bailey – Republican
– Elad Jonathan Gross – Democrat
Ryan Munro – Libertarian
My Comment (Bailey / Gross)
Bailey is the current Attorney General of Missouri. He served as a U.S. Army commander and was deployed twice to Iraq.
Bailey began his legal career at the Missouri Attorney General’s Office as an assistant attorney general. He later served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Warren County and was General Counsel to the Office of Governor Mike Parson prior to being appointed Attorney General in 2023.
Bailey wants to institute mandatory minimum prison terms to ensure that the “worst of offenders stay locked up”. He has been losing the fight keeping the wrongly convicted in prison and it’s brought him MUCH bad press.
He has received endorsements from Sen. Josh Hawley, Former President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.
Gross has worked as an attorney and CEO. He is a civil rights and government transparency attorney. “My job is to sue the government when it abuses its power and violates our rights.”
He is passionate about education, economic access to opportunity, and protecting our civil rights.
His plan would be to coordinate law enforcement officers and prosecutors to ensure that those who commit violence in our state are held accountable. He believes that human and drug trafficking are major issues in Missouri. As Attorney General, he would mobilize the anti-human trafficking task force. He would also start a Public Corruption Unit to go after misappropriation of taxpayer funds and stop corrupt officials from abusing their power.
Gross would also hold animal abusers accountable and make consumer protection a major priority. That includes going after scam callers, staying ahead of AI scams, and prosecuting fraud in our health care system.
Gross is endorsed by the Abortion Action Missouri.
FOR UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE (DISTRICT 3)
– Bob Onder Jr. – Republican
– Bethany Mann – Democrat
Jordan Rowden – Libertarian
William Hastings – Green Party
My Comment (Onder / Mann)
Onder is a physician specializing in allergy and asthma care.
Onder served a single term in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008, having been elected in 2006.
In 2008, Onder authored and sponsored HB 1549 forbidding the creation of sanctuary cities in Missouri, allows for cancellation of state contracts for contractors who hire illegal immigrants, and requires public agencies to verify the legal status of immigrants before providing social service benefits. Additionally the bill criminalized the transportation of immigrants for exploitative purposes.
Onder was elected to the Missouri Senate in the 2nd district in 2014 unopposed and was reelected to a second term.
In 2016, Onder introduced Senate Joint Resolution 39, a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would protect wedding industry businesses that refused to serve LGBTQIA+ couples. This bill failed to make it out of committee.
Onder is anti-abortion. He was the original author of legislation that required annual, unannounced state inspections of healthcare clinics that provide reproductive healthcare, mandates that pathologists test fetal tissue, and enacts whistleblower protections for employees of abortion clinics.
Mann is an environmental chemist and technology specialist with a background in agriculture, manufacturing, and infrastructure. She works as a technology professional on projects with the EPA and the USDA. Mann has been a member of the Missouri Democratic LGBTQIA+ caucus, and has been affiliated with the NAACP.
She wants to champion Universal Pre-K, fully fund public schools and jobs programs to address teacher shortages. She believes that government should never interfere with a woman’s reproductive healthcare. Mann supports strengthening and expanding Medicare by passing Medicare For All.
She believes that Congress needs to meaningfully addresses the core issues leading to the crisis at the border.
She is endorsed by Indivisible St. Louis.
You’ll notice something similar about the candidates running for the offices that follow. They are ALL running unopposed.
I recall stories I’ve heard of how Republicans have been “stacking the courts” for decades to taint the outcome of political court cases, as we have seen following the end of “Roe vs. Wade”.
The question was, how was that legally possible? Well, a quick examination of the ballot would tell you. You’re a sure fire win if you run unopposed!
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE (DISTRICT 111)
– Cecelie Williams – Republican Running unopposed
Cecelie wants to see more initiative petition reform. In other words, she wants to make it more difficult for citizens to participate in the initiative process. Many Republicans throughout the nation want to end or at the very least cripple the citizen initiative process. She also repeats the same Republican points regarding abortion and “non-citizen voting”.
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen for at least 10 years;
- a qualified state voter for at least three years;
- a resident of the circuit for at least one year;
- licensed to practice law in the state; and
- at least 30 years old.
FOR CIRCUIT JUDGE (CIRCUIT 23 DIVISION 1)
– Joe Rathert – Republican Running unopposed
Joe joined the court in 2010. He has lost virtually every election where he was opposed.
FOR CIRCUIT JUDGE (CIRCUIT 23 DIVISION 4)
– Brenda Stacey – Republican Running unopposed
She started the Jefferson County Women’s Bar Association, assisted with the committee to promote pro bono legal services, is the 2013 President of the Arnold Chamber of Commerce.
FOR CIRCUIT JUDGE (CIRCUIT 23 DIVISION 5)
– Vic Melenbrink – Republican Running unopposed
Melenbrink previously served as a prosecutor for the Jefferson County Municipal Court
FOR CIRCUIT JUDGE (CIRCUIT 23 DIVISION 6)
– Shannon Dougherty – Republican Running unopposed
Prior to being a judge, Dougherty has served as Probation and Parole Officer and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. She is currently the longest serving judge in Jefferson County. She has and continues to be involved in multiple civic and court related programs.
FOR SHERIFF
– Dave Marshak – Republican Running unopposed
Marshak started his law enforcement career in 1991. He worked for two municipal police departments in St. Louis County before joining the Sheriff’s Office in 1994. As a Deputy, he worked as a patrol officer and field training officer and then moved to the department’s Special Operations Division. Elected in 2016, Sheriff Marshak was sworn into office in January 2017.
FOR ASSESSOR
– Bob Boyer – Republican Running unopposed
Boyer was elected the first Republican Assessor of Jefferson County since 1931. He took office on September 1st, 2017, and was re-elected in November, 2020. Mr. Boyer is a Missouri State Licensed Real Estate Appraiser, President of the Central East Missouri Assessors’ Association, and Education Coordinator for the Missouri State Assessors’ Association.
FOR TREASURE
– Paula Wagner – Republican Running unopposed
Wagner took office January 2, 2017. Prior to the elected position, she was the Chief Deputy Treasurer for four years and Deputy Treasurer for two years. She has also worked in the County Auditor’s Office for six years and the County Clerk’s Office, Accounts Payable Department for six years.
FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR
– Tracey Perry – Republican Running unopposed
The Public Administrator’s Office is responsible for each person, or Ward, whose oversight is entrusted to this office by the Probate Court through an appointment process.
MISSOURI SUPREME COURT JUDGES
Missouri’s Supreme Court is made up of seven Judges, all appointed by the Missouri nonpartisan court plan (Missouri Plan) Governor, with the advice and consent of the state senate.
– Shall Judge Kelly Broniec (Republican) be retained in office?
Broniec was appointed by Republican Governor Parson. Judge Kelly voted to strip Missouri voters of the right to put abortion on the ballot.
– Shall Judge Ginger Gooch (Nonpartisan) be retained in office?
Gooch voted to keep Missourians from having the right to determine the abortion issue on the General Ballot. She was appointed by Republican Governor Parson.
MISSOURI COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE, EASTERN DISTRICT
– Shall Judge Robert Clayton (Nonpartisan) be retained in office?
Prior to his appointment to the appellate court, Judge Clayton served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, and subsequently as a member of the Missouri Public Service Commission.
Clayton was appointed by then Democratic Governor Jay Nixon on July 18, 2011
– Shall Judge Gary Gaertner, Jr. (Nonpartisan) be retained in office?
Prior to his appointment to the bench, he was a federal prosecutor for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri and an assistant state prosecutor for the Circuit Attorney’s Office. Judge Gaertner is presently serving as the chief judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Judge Gaertner has been rated high for being courteous toward attorneys, allowing parties to present & answer arguments, issuing timely opinions, and treating parties equally regardless of race, sex or economic status.
– Shall Judge Renee Hardin-Tammons (Nonpartisan) be retained in office?
Hardin-Tammons was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals-Eastern District by Governor Parsons in 2022. She has also served in private practice, as Assistant Public Defender, Assistant County Counselor, Associate Circuit Judge, Appellate Judge, Treatment Court Judge and Family Court Judge.
– Shall Judge Cristian Stevens (Nonpartisan) be retained in office?
Appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals in October 2021. Stevens has also served as a Law Clerk, Assistant US Attorney, First Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General for the Criminal Division.
– Shall Judge Michael S. Wright (Nonpartisan) be retained in office?
Wright was appointed by Governor Parson in 2023. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Wright worked in private practice and has served as Prosecuting Attorney for Warren County.
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Cannabis is nontoxic. Cannabis is food. Cannabis is the single most important medicine of the 21st century.
