Latest entries in Politics Watch
Political updates from Columbia, Jeff City and Washington by The Maneater's political reporters.
Dec. 2, 2010
Senator Kit Bond asks for the arrest of Julian Assange for espionage
Today, U.S. Senator Christopher (Kit) Bond (R-Mo.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the committee, asked Attorney General Eric Holder to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for espionage.
"The unauthorized release of this information, including the recent release of approximately 250,000 State Department documents, is a serious breach of national security and could be used to severely harm the United States and its worldwide interests," they said in a letter to Holder.
Acknowledging that it may not be possible to persecute Assange under the Espionage Act (Assange is not a U.S. citizen), Bond and Feinstein said they would be willing to work with Holder in closing the gaps in the law.
David Russell announced as commissioner of higher education
Today, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education named David Russell commissioner of higher education. Russell has served as interim commissioner since July 1 when Robert B. Stein retired.
“Higher education is the foundation for a prosperous state and enlightened society," Russell said in a press release.
The Coordinating Board for Higher Education oversees legislation regarding higher education in the state and makes sure schools abide by the rules.Russell received a doctoral degree from MU and worked within the University of Missouri System for 19 years.
Nov. 30, 2010
Congressman Clay elected as Democratic Deputy Whip
Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay, D-MO has been elected as one of twelve House Democratic Deputy Whips. The position is responsible for leading Region IV, which includes Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma and Kansas.
"I am absolutely committed to advancing our Democratic agenda to put America back to work, reduce the budget deficit and ensure the stability of Social Security and Medicare," Clay said in a press release.
Senator Kit Bond says Wikileaks release is treason, calls for justice
U.S. Senator Kit Bond, R-MO commented Monday on the recent Wikileaks release of over 250,000 secret U.S. Diplomat cables and documents calling the release treasonous and dangerous.
"These leaks of stolen secret documents endanger our troops, critical terror-fighting operations, our relationships with foreign allies, and sources around the globe who cooperate with America at great risk to their own lives," Bond said in a press release.
Bond called those responsible for the release of the previously secret documents betrayers of their country who should be brought to justice for treason against the U.S.
The documents were printed by The New York Times and four other major newspapers across the globe. The full contents will be released throughout the week.
Nov. 2, 2010
Major Missouri races come to a close
As the polls draw to a close, many major races have been determined. A majority of precincts have been reported. Here are the election results as of 11:35 p.m.
U.S. Senate Race: Roy Blunt (Republican) - 56%, Robin Carnahan (Democrat) - 38.7%, Jonathan Dine (Libertarian) - 3.1%
U.S. Representative - District 9: Blaine Luetkemeyer (Republican) - 77.7%, Christopher Dwyer (Libertarian) - 22.2%
State Representative - District 21: John Cauthorn (Republican) - 60%, Kelly Shultz (Democrat) - 40%
State Representative - District 23: Stephen Webber (Democrat) - 67.9%, Paul Szopa (Republican) - 32.1%
State Representative - District 24: Chris Kelly (Democrat) - 55.9%, Laura Nauser (Republican) - 44.1%
State Representative - District 25: Mary Still (Democrat) - 100%
For final results, visit The Maneater's election page.
Prop B vote split 50-50; Prop 2 Taser ban voted down
As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the vast majority of precincts have reported for city and state propositions. Here's a breakdown of the vote totals.
Proposition B: This ballot measure would bar dog breeders from housing more than 50 breeding dogs at a single kennel. Yes: 50% No: 50% 91% of precincts have reported
Proposition 1: The renewal of a 1/8 of 1 cent park sales tax for Columbia. Yes: 64% No: 35% 34 of 34 precincts have reported.
Proposition 2: This ballot measure would make Taser use a misdemeanor in Columbia. Yes: 22% No: 77% 67 of 67 precincts have reported.
Kelly claims victory in 24th district house race
Democratic candidate Chris Kelly announced to supporters he has won the race against Republican Laura Nauser for a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives.
"In office, I'm going to try and continue to work across the aisle," Kelly said to a crowd of supporters. "My check doesn't say 'Democrat,' it says 'Missouri.' It's my job to find 82 votes for things that are good for the university and good for Boone County."
With 82 percent of precincts reporting, Kelly leads the race with 56.1 percent of the vote, according to the secretary of state's website. Kelly would be the new state representative for Missouri District 24.
Nauser has yet to concede the race as of 11:15 p.m.
For more up-to-date election results, visit The Maneater's election page.
Robin Carnahan concedes in US Senate race
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Robin Carnahan has just conceded in the race against Republican candidate Roy Blunt.
The election was called in Blunt's favor earlier this evening by the Associated Press and then subsequently by the Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
83 percent of precincts are reported complete in the race. Blunt currently leads the race with 56 percent of the votes to Carnahan's 38.6 percent.
For more up-to-date information on the election, visit The Maneater's election page.
'Yes,' 'No' votes for Prop B separated by less than 1-percent margin
With 83 percent of precincts reporting, the vote on Proposition B, the ballot measure that would bar dog breeders from housing more than 50 dogs at a single kennel, has a "Yes" vote of 50.2 percent and a "No" vote of 49.8 percent. In Boone County, 52.2 percent have voted "No" on the proposition.
Luetkemeyer declared winner in US Representative race by Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Republican U.S. House candidate Blaine Luetkemeyer has been re-elected to his position as Representative for the 9th District of Missouri. Luetkemeyer, the incumbent, has defeated Libertarian candidate Christopher Dwyer in the race with 78.8 percent of votes.
This result comes with 78.4 percent of precincts reporting. All but two counties have reported. All reports are in favor of Luetkemeyer.
For more up-to-date information on the election, visit The Maneater's election page.
