Federal Election Commission

Akin $270K in Debt from Failed Senate Bid

The Federal Election Commission released its post-general election report yesterday. All the giddy spending of election season has settled into the cold, harsh reality of paying for it all. Especially if you lost. It's as though post-Christmas gloom has come three weeks early! The news is especial ... More >>

15 Presidential Debate Dinner Ideas Inspired By Obama and Romney Campaign Spending

Last week Politico broke down information from a recent review of Federal Election Commission reports detailing Mitt Romney and Barack Obama's campaign spending. It contains everything from office supplies and gas expenses to which hotels and restaurants the respective campaigns patronize most often ... More >>

John Brunner Officially Enters U.S. Senate Race

Albert SamahaJohn Brunner's anti-establishment credentials make him a formidable candidate in the GOP Senate primary.​ Updated 11:30 a.m. to show that FEC guidelines do not make a distinction between money spent from contributions and money spent out of pocket when it comes to campaign disclosure ... More >>

How Much Does American Crossroads Hate Claire McCaskill?

Watch your back, Claire. They're already out to get you.​You may have heard that Claire McCaskill, Missouri's senior senator, is running for re-election in 2012. She doesn't know who her Republican opponent is yet. (Congressman Todd Akin and former state treasurer and gubernatorial candidate S ... More >>

Missouri Democratic Party Files Complaint vs. Joe the Plumber, But Why?

​So, I'm a little late to the game here. The reason? I just can't get my head around the latest political skirmish pitting the Missouri Democratic Party against Joe the Plumber and G.O.P. Senate hopeful Chuck Purgason. Purgason, something of Tea Party extremist (though grudgingly appreciated here ... More >>

Dana Loesch's Husband Calls $2,500 Check From Ed Martin a "Non-Story"; Tutors Daily RFT on Journalism

Photo: Jennifer SilverbergChris and Dana Loesch: Got each others back.​I just got off the phone with Chris Loesch, the husband of Tea Party personality Dana Loesch. Chris is upset with a post I published yesterday drawing attention to a $2,500 check that Republican candidate Ed Martin's campaign p ... More >>

Steve Brown's Decision to Wear the Wire "Came Without Hesitation"

Steve Brown was sentenced to two years' probation and a $40,000 fine. Jeff Smith got a year in prison and must pay a $50,000 fine. ​In a letter to U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson, former state rep. Steve Brown's wife, Rebecca Brown, stated she is "deeply disappointed" by her husband's illegal ac ... More >>

The Dead Guy in Smith Case Speaks. Sort Of.

At yesterday's federal sentencing of Jeff Smith, U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson noted her receipt of numerous letters asking for leniency for the former state senator. Jackson said she never counted the missives, but estimated that they well could have totaled 100. Jackson also referenced a lone ... More >>

Former Senator Jeff Smith Will Likely Go to the Marion, Illinois, Clinker

Jeff Smith remains free on bond -- until he gets the letter from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons telling him where and when to report. ​Susan Uchitelle wanted Jeff Smith to do more community service at Confluence Academy. Vince Estrada wanted the former poli-sci instructor for Washington University to ... More >>

Jeff Smith Campaign Documentary Makes for An Interesting Post-Mortem, Particularly in the Case of the Dead Campaign Worker Caught Up in Smith's Crime

​Somebody told Daily RFT there was a striking moment in Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? when an independent campaign consultant talked about what a nice, smart, capable guy Jeff Smith is -- but that to win in politics the then-29-year-old needed to get more cutthroat. We couldn't find sai ... More >>

Jeff Smith's Resignation Letter

Note: Below is the unedited letter Jeff Smith sent out to supporters following his guilty pleas Tuesday to two charges of obstructing a federal investigation. ​Dear Friend, Today, with great sadness and regret, I am resigning from the Missouri Senate. ... More >>

Former State Senator Jeff Smith Facing 20 Years in Prison, Maybe More

​A little over a month ago, Jeff Smith was still considered a rising star in Missouri Democratic politics. Now his political career is more than likely over. Smith admitted in federal court today that he tried to cover up his involvement in a federal elections violation not once -- but twice. Smit ... More >>

What the Post-Dispatch Missed About Milton "Skip" Ohlsen

Ohlsen's mug shot as it appears in an arrest report from March 2008 when police in Ladue found him in possession of a stolen .40 caliber Glock handgun. ​If you didn't see it yesterday, the Post-Dispatch ran a front-page article on Milton "Skip" Ohlsen, the man behind a federal probe into state Sen ... More >>

Ohlsen's Former Wife Testified that He Was Behind "Voters for Truth", Used Multiple Aliases

Jeff Smith​The former wife of Milton "Skip" Ohlsen testified last year that her ex-husband operated Voters for Truth, the political committee at the center of a federal probe into state Senator Jeff Smith (D - St. Louis) and state Rep. Steve Brown (D - Clayton).  Smith and Brown are reportedl ... More >>

Milton "Skip" Ohlsen -- The Man Behind State Sen. Jeff Smith's Possible Downfall

Ohlsen arrested last summer for an outstanding warrant. ​Last time I reported on Milton "Skip" Ohlsen was back in February when he'd just been indicted on gun charges and mortgage fraud. Back then, a source of mine hinted that Ohlsen might make news again on an unrelated matter but couldn't go int ... More >>

Thursday, April 9: Morning's Newz

A few parents in the Ritenour School District are enraged about an incident last week when the bus carrying their children's baseball team was pulled over by the enraged coach of the opposing team. Apparently the coach thought that some players on the other team stole money from the locker room.&nbs ... More >>

Some Missouri Campaign Contribution Numbers to Crunch on Super Tuesday

Rapid Fire

Where's the line between political blogging and political journalism?

Farr Out Campaign

A loose-lipped former train conductor is looking to get his long-shot congressional bid on track

The Absurd Third

Last-minute campaign shenanigans mark the final days in the race to replace Dick

Cowboy Him

A hometown boy's skills on the open range could win him $25K, Mariano Favazza offers a money-back guarantee, and Unreal gets to the seat of the issue at the new ballpark; plus, won't someone from the STL break the marathon-bowling record?

Purple Power

In less than four years, Grant Williams has turned a weak union local into one of Missouri's most potent political forces. So why's he placing all his bets on One-Term Bob?

Herky Jerk

Doe Run's owner has done this before -- and that has regulators braced for trouble

The Ethics Omission

Enforcers of Missouri's campaign-finance laws would rather hide than seek.

Joker's Wild

Casino lawyer Michael Lazaroff cheated for years -- and the insiders knew. Now that he's cut the deal of his life, why does anybody believe him?

Filthy Riches

The Ashcroft and Carnahan campaigns profit from money laundered through a new and deliberately confusing fundraising scheme

Party Crashers

Ralph Nader tries to derail the corporate-sponsored presidential debates with a lawsuit. Protesters have their own plans to disrupt the Bush-Gore affair at Wash. U.

Unhealthy Relationship

John Ashcroft gets a shot in the arm from the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, as well as other lobbying groups opposed to a true Patients' Bill of Rights

Waiting for Dubya

The presidential candidate is a late arrival to the nation's health-care crisis

Primary Color

Following the greenbacks as Missouri gears up for Super Tuesday

HEDGING THEIR BETS?

Presidential candidate George W. Bush's campaign is raking in big bucks from St. Louis' wealthiest suburbs -- but those same donors are also ingratiating themselves with Democratic contenders

Guns and Poses

Frenzied politicians do the Littleton shuffle

The Last Picture Show