Politically Speaking

Joan VonDras believes that if Democrats are going to beat Congresswoman Ann Wagner in the fall, they’ll have to stretch past their comfort zone.

VonDras, a former educator at the Clayton and Parkway School districts, and Fred Wellman are the major contenders in the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary.

VonDras has been holding town halls throughout the 2nd District, which includes a number of GOP-leaning areas like Jefferson, Franklin and Gasconade counties. She said the winner of the Aug. 4 primary Democratic primary can’t win in November without appealing to Republicans and independents.

“There are plenty of people that want to put country above party, and those are the people we need to tap into,” VonDras said during an appearance on the “Politically Speaking” podcast.

With less than two weeks to go before voters in St. Louis and St. Louis County decide their nationally-watched race, Congressman Wesley Bell and Cori Bush clashed in an intense joint appearance Friday.

The two Democrats got into tense exchanges about their campaign finance donations and spending during an appearance on “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.”

Democrat David Bryant is one of two candidates seeking the party’s nomination for St. Louis County prosecuting attorney. The winner will face a Libertarian candidate in November.

The Democrat is one of two candidates seeking the party’s nomination for St. Louis County prosecuting attorney. The winner will face a frequent Libertarian candidate in November.

Tim Whitney had always wanted to be in law enforcement. And he achieved his goal by working his way up to being the second-in-command at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

But after a number of years of overseeing day-to-day operations for the agency, Whitney is making the transition to politics by running for Jefferson County executive — something he said is a continuation of his public service and his love for his home county.

“I love Jefferson County,” Whitney said on St. Louis Public Radio’s “Politically Speaking.” “As I say that, I can hear listeners gasping or rolling their eyes because that's a political answer. As somebody who has been in law enforcement my whole life… When I said those words, they were taken at face value. The day you become a politician, there's a sense of skepticism that applies to that. And there should be because of the things politicians before have done.”

Whitney is running against John Stockton in the GOP primary on Aug. 4. The winner will be the heavy favorite to succeed Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon, who is not running for re-election.