Author: Ryan Gavin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

“Vote for Amendment 3 and Against Hawley to Reclaim Our Rights.”

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Local leaders and advocates gathered outside Senator Josh Hawley’s St. Louis office to unveil a powerful new billboard featuring the bold message: “Your Body, His Choice: Senator Josh Hawley Wants to Control Your Reproductive Freedom.”

The billboard features a couple in an intimate moment, sitting together in bed. Looming over them is Senator Josh Hawley, who inserts himself into their bedroom to infringe on their right to make deeply personal decisions about their own bodies and futures.

With the highly popular Amendment 3 on the ballot this fall — which Hawley strangely declared “must be defeated” and the “most radical attempt to destroy the family in the history of our state” – Missourians can restore their rights and send a powerful message to politicians like Hawley who seek to take away their personal freedoms.

Liz McCune, Executive Director of Progress Missouri, remarked: “This billboard sends a clear message: Senator Hawley wants to control our bodies and make decisions that should belong to us, not the government. Hawley’s crusade against reproductive rights is extreme and dangerous and deeply out of step with most Missourians. Hawley celebrated the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe and voted against contraception and IVF. This fall, we can fight back and protect our reproductive freedoms by voting for Amendment 3 and against Hawley.”

Ashley Mosley, a nursing home worker and union member, emphasized: “As a healthcare worker, I’ve seen the real consequences of extreme policies that take away our freedom to choose. When politicians like Senator Hawley interfere with our personal decisions, it’s the women and families working paycheck to paycheck who suffer most. This November, we can reclaim our rights by voting for Amendment 3 and against Hawley.”

Heather Lindsy, a women’s rights advocate, added: “Senator Hawley’s relentless crusade to control our bodies is nothing short of an assault on freedom. He doesn’t trust Missourians to make their own healthcare decisions, whether it’s about abortion, contraception, or IVF. By voting for Amendment 3 and against Hawley this November, we can stop his dangerous agenda, keep him out of our bedrooms, and reclaim our right to decide what happens in our own lives.”

The billboard unveiling comes in the wake of Tuesday’s critical ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court, which cleared the path for Amendment 3 to appear on the November ballot, giving Missourians the opportunity to restore their reproductive rights. The billboard can be viewed along I-270 at the McKelvey Road exit near the I-70 interchange.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Sept. 6, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

Polling shows Missourians support abortion, minimum wage increase but politicians are bent on having it their way

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri voters are energized to go to the polls this fall to vote on key ballot issues such as restoring abortion access, and providing workers with earned sick days while increasing the minimum wage. 

Springfield resident Dr. Kathy LeMon called this fall’s vote “the most important in her lifetime,” with abortion topping her list of reasons to vote. It would seem that many Missourians agree with her. A poll released last week shows several ballot measures are popular with voters and expected to pass.

However, many politicians vying to represent their home districts in the Missouri State Senate have made it clear that they don’t respect the will of voters and will actively work to ensure the state is ruled by their worldview. 

Jerry Nolte, candidate for State Senate District 17 in North Kansas City, voted to lower Missouri’s minimum wage, overturning the will of the voters in 2008. With a minimum wage increase on the ballot again this year, voters are afraid of history repeating itself.

Joe Nicola, running for State Senate District 11 in Independence, has said he will fight against abortion access as well as eliminating the tax revenues that fund key services such as schools and roads. 

In 2015, the City of St. Louis passed an ordinance to raise the minimum wage; however, David Gregory, running for State Senate District 15 in west St. Louis County, voted to preempt that law lowering the minimum wage for City employees and taking money out of their pockets. Gregory also voted to prevent Missourians from accessing abortion.

James Coyne, running for State Senate District 19 in Boone County, wants to defund local public schools, police, firefighters, roads and more. Although residents in his district depend on these services, his policy proposal demanding the elimination of the state’s income tax includes no alternative revenue sources or spending adjustments, which would make critical parts of the state’s operation impossible. The state’s income tax accounts for nearly $10 billion, about 1/5 of the state’s $50.5 billion operating budget. 

Adam Schnelting, candidate for State Senate District 23 in St. Charles, is endorsed by the Missouri Freedom Caucus and has bragged that he authored the cruel abortion ban currently in place in Missouri. According to the Missouri Independent, State Freedom Caucuses “are proposing conservative legislation and slowing measures they don’t like, even bills that were once considered routine and noncontroversial.” 

“Our legislators are trying to pass bills in hopes of dismantling huge pieces of our democracy,” said Béla Holzer of Elk Creek in Texas County. “It is already nearly impossible to propose a bill or law that actually gets heard by anyone with legislative power.“

Missourians remember when voters overwhelmingly chose to expand Medicaid in 2020, giving health care to thousands. But politicians have spent years trying to dismantle it, denying people the care they were promised. 

“Jefferson City politicians have vowed to destroy the initiative petition process during next year’s legislative session,” said Liz McCune, executive director of Progress Missouri. “So while Missourians are eager to have their voice heard in the fall, they also need to look at who they are electing to represent them. Because many politicians believe they know what’s best for Missourians and don’t respect the will of voters.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

Photo ops and tweets don’t pay Missourians’ bills

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Labor leaders from across Missouri met Wednesday, Aug. 28, to push back against Sen. Josh Hawley’s attempts to rebrand himself as a friend of workers just two months before November’s election.

View or download the full Zoom event

“As Missouri families gather to celebrate Labor Day, Senator Hawley wants you to forget his record,” said Tony Renfro, president of UAW Local 249. “He claims to be ‘pro-labor,’ but his actions speak louder than his empty words. He’s betrayed Missouri workers time and time again.”

Hawley has attempted to raise his profile with labor members over the past year with photo-ops at union events. However, his track record suggests he consistently favors corporations and special interest groups.

“I don’t believe Josh Hawley has been a friend to labor. He’s not a friend to working families. He doesn’t represent the ordinary person on the street — that’s just not who he is,” said Kevin Perkins, who works in Campus Dining at the University of Missouri and is a member of Laborers’ International Union. “You can’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.”

David Cook is president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, representing meatpacking, shoe manufacturers and grocery workers in St. Louis.

“I remember the picket line at UAW years ago, and he was nowhere to be found. I remember in 2018, as labor was in the fight for our lifetime in Missouri, defeating Right to Work. He was an advocate for that and thought it was good for Right to Work to pass. Now he says he’s against it because he wants to walk on picket lines with a camera present. If he was reelected, labor would be right back there on the chopping block, make no bones about it.” 

Lenny Jones, state director for SEIU Healthcare, or Service Employees International Workers Union, represents 90,000 care workers throughout four states. 

“In our world, actions speak louder than words or visibility stunts,” Jones said. “There have been many opportunities for Josh Hawley to do the right thing through action, and he has failed every single time.”

Those actions include:

1. Right-to-Freeload, Not Right-to-Work: Hawley champions laws designed to weaken unions, making it harder for workers to negotiate fair wages and benefits.
   
2. Minimum Wage? More Like Minimum Effort: Senator Josh Hawley has publicly claimed to support an increase in the minimum wage; however, when it came to a critical vote on raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, he voted against the proposal.
   
   He voted against raising the minimum wage, keeping many workers in low-paying jobs without the prospect of earning a livable wage. 

• In 2018, then-Attorney General Hawley opposed Proposition B, a modest proposal to gradually increase the minimum wage by eighty-five cents a year. He claimed that it would be out of the mainstream, out of step with other states, and “raising the minimum wage [too] quickly.”

3. Hawley’s Stance Against the PRO Act: Hawley consistently refuses to support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, legislation crucial for strengthening workers’ rights to form unions and bargain collectively. Despite his claims of being pro-worker, Hawley’s opposition to the PRO Act and his support for right-to-work laws reveal his true anti-labor stance. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board stated, “Hawley’s recent claim that the [PRO Act] would ‘hurt workers more than it helps’ is classic anti-labor doublespeak.”
   
4. Hawley’s Callous Cut to Overtime Pay Protections: Hawley supported legislation that cut overtime pay protections for hundreds of thousands of workers, reducing their income and financial security.
   
5. Hawley Voted to Deny Pregnant Workers Basic Protections: Hawley voted against workplace protections for pregnant workers, showing his disregard for workers’ health and safety.
   
6. Hawley Turns His Back on Retirees: The Butch Lewis Act Betrayal
   When it came time to protect the hard-earned pensions of Teamster retirees, Hawley turned his back. His refusal to support the Butch Lewis Act, critical legislation that would have secured these pensions, reveals his true priorities: siding with corporations and special interests over the well-being of Missouri’s seniors.

As Jake Hummel, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO, stated:

“It’s no surprise that in an election cycle where Josh Hawley will face off against an actual champion for Missouri workers, he suddenly finds his way to a picket line. A champion of the ‘Right-to-Work’ scam, Josh Hawley, has always sided with massive corporations at the expense of American workers’ jobs. He’s a fraud who doesn’t give a damn about Missouri workers and only shows up when the camera flashes.”

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – As Missouri families gather to celebrate Labor Day, Sen. Hawley wants you to forget his record. He claims to be “pro labor,” but his actions speak louder than his empty words. He’s betrayed Missouri workers time and time again.

Hawley’s recent appearances at union events are a desperate attempt to mislead voters. He’s counting on Missourians not noticing that his votes consistently favor corporations and special interests over working families.

WHAT: Press Conference

WHO: Labor leaders from across Missouri, including:

• Tony Renfro, President UAW Local 249
• David Cook, President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 
• Lenny Jones, State Director SEIU Healthcare Missouri

WHEN: 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28

WHY: This Labor Day, union leaders from around the state come together to expose Senator Josh Hawley’s blatant hypocrisy. While he stages photo ops with workers to salvage his image, his voting record reveals a deep-seated pattern of betrayal toward Missouri’s hardworking families.

HOW TO JOIN: Zoom – please contact Liz McCune at liz@progressmo.org for link.

MEDIA CONTACT: Liz McCune, liz@progressmo.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

Where Missouri candidates stand issues important to working families

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – While many Missourians plan to celebrate Labor Day with barbecues and enjoy the last few days of Summer, for working families Labor Day is a reminder of the ways candidates have ignored them.

In the past 20 years, Missouri legislators have sold out working families by siding with large corporations and extreme CEOs. Missourians have been forced to raise their own wages, protect the state from so-called “Right to Work” laws, and fight back against corporate greed. 

Here are a few ways that candidates running for the Missouri State Senate have turned their backs on working families: 

Jerry Nolte, candidate for State Senate District 17 in North Kansas City, voted to lower Missouri’s minimum wage, overturning the will of the voters in 2008. With a minimum wage increase on the ballot again this year, voters are afraid of history repeating itself.

In 2015, the City of St. Louis passed an ordinance to raise the minimum wage; however, David Gregory, running for State Senate District 15 in west St. Louis County, voted to preempt that law lowering the minimum wage for City employees and taking money out of their pockets. 

James Coyne, running for State Senate District 19 in Boone County, openly mocks working families and families demanding higher wages implying they are freeloaders and dig through the trash. 

Adam Schnelting, candidate for State Senate District 23 in St. Charles, voted against the Federal Reimbursement Allowance (FRA), SB784, to assist local hospitals in providing care for low income families. WIthout the FRA, Missouri would face a $1.5 billion budget deficit leaving thousands of families struggling to find health care. 

Working families keep our state running. A full-time minimum wage worker in Missouri currently makes less than $25,000 a year. Our economy and legislators should reward hard work and not punish people by making it impossible to pay for food, housing and other basics.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Aug. 19, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

Over 90% of Missouri kids attend their local public schools that Missouri State Senate candidates want to radically alter

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Kids across the state of Missouri have started returning to their classrooms, and the signs of their return are everywhere: from back-to-school shopping in our stores to the smiling photos posted by proud parents on social media. But politicians in Missouri, in their desperation to out-extreme each other, are instead campaigning on hurting students and teachers. 

Joe Nicola, running for State Senate District 11 in eastern Kansas City, demands “education freedom without government strings attached.” Translated: Nicola, who founded his own church, wants public taxpayer money in the form of vouchers for students to attend private and religious schools. 

Adam Schnelting, running for State Senate District 23 in St. Charles, voted in favor of SB 727 to funnel public money into private schools. According to Dr. Patrick Layden, Executive Director of the NEA, SB 727’s unfunded mandates “jeopardize the education and well-being of countless Missouri students.” 

David Gregory, running for State Senate District 15 in west St. Louis County, has focused his campaign on promoting vouchers, telling West News Magazine: “We will become the best by creating competition with education freedom and forcing our schools to compete for our children.”

James Coyne, running for State Senate District 19 in Boone County, is campaigning on eliminating the state income tax without any revenue offsets to maintain the paltry school funding that exists. Missouri ranks 49th nationally in the percent of school funding coming from state resources as of a 2020 report from former auditor Nicole Galloway. 

These candidates have aligned themselves with a policy platform that advocates for the elimination of the Department of Education. It also takes swipes at “failing schools” and an “education crisis.”

Missouri public schools face a funding shortage due to selfish politicians in Jefferson City and a teacher shortage due to bottom-five salaries in the U.S. Over 90% of Missouri kids attend their local public schools. We should focus on funding them rather than taking public taxpayer money to give to private and religious schools. 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Aug. 12, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

Three things to know about David Gregory after GOP primary

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Voters last week selected extreme conservative David Gregory as the Republican candidate for Senate District 15. Gregory, who failed in his bid for state auditor in 2022, has said that he feels Missouri’s total abortion ban doesn’t go far enough. 

Here are 3 things to know about David Gregory:

1. Gregory doesn’t think Missouri’s abortion ban goes far enough. Although Missouri has what is considered to be one of the most sweeping abortion bans in the nation, Gregory told a KFVS reporter the draconian law doesn’t go far enough, saying that legislators would be taking steps to prevent women from crossing state borders to get abortions, a tremendous seizure of personal freedom.
   
   “If you’re a Missouri resident no matter where you get it, can we have that arms-length reach? Can we do something about it either civilly or criminally?  I don’t know the constitutionality of that. It may be constitutional; it may not be. I’m not sure. But I do know in Missouri certainly they’ll be taking steps to find out and steps to find out what they can to prevent that.”
   
   He further states that the federal government can offer strings-attached money that would only be available to states that deny Missourians abortions.
   
2. Gregory believes families with several children shouldn’t have to pay income taxes. On his website, Gregory has boasted about his “pro-life plan” that includes incentivizing families with at least three children by releasing them from paying income taxes. 
   
3. Gregory voted for Missouri’s abortion ban trigger law. As a state representative, Gregory voted “yes” on HB 126, the bill that established Missouri’s extreme abortion ban. He said online that he has a 100% pro-life voting record and has said abortion is a “non-negotiable issue for me.”

With abortion on the ballot, many voters look down ballot in effort to protect health care freedom and bodily autonomy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – This fall, Missourians will have an opportunity to cast a historic vote enshrining abortion access in the state. Although polling suggests Amendment 3 will pass, extreme politicians – including many who won primary races last week – are doubling down on their anti-abortion rhetoric.

State Senate candidate Adam Schnelting of St. Charles, who proudly boasts on social media that he “authored the law that ended abortion in Missouri,” is one of several politicians who told voters to “decline to sign” the initiative petition. 

In one of a series of nearly identical videos featuring extreme politicians, Schnelting said that the driver pushing the health care initiative is financial profit, failing to acknowledge the long understood correlation between poverty and limiting abortion access.

Likewise, David Gregory of Chesterfield – who served in the House of Representatives alongside Schnelting and voted for the 2019 trigger ban and is also running for State Senate – boasts that he is “pro-life, pro-gun and pro-Christian.” He even has a pro-life plan for Missourians where families pay no income taxes if they have three children.

Missourians, desperate to restore bodily autonomy to women, are taking notice. 

Eva Meyer from Jefferson City said how a candidate feels about abortion will be a determining factor in who gets her vote.

“Some politicians have shown us they only care about their own agenda and taking the most extreme positions possible in an attempt to win votes. I am voting to turn back Missouri’s cruel abortion law, and I’ll also be voting for candidates who support this right and will not interfere with the will of voters.”

Dr. Kathy LeMon, a 78-year-old clinical psychologist from Springfield, said the importance of voting for legislators who support abortion access cannot be underscored enough. “This is the most important vote I will cast in my lifetime. It is not just about abortion. It is about the rights of individuals to make their own decisions. I will be voting for legislators who support the will of the people, and legislators who support abortion.”

This fall, Missourians face a choice: restore abortion access or let politicians keep calling the shots. Polling shows most voters want abortion back, but some fear it won’t be that simple.

They remember 2020. Voters overwhelmingly chose to expand Medicaid, giving health care to thousands. But politicians have spent years trying to dismantle it, denying people the care they were promised. Will the same thing happen with abortion?”

Republicans have been uncomfortable with the initiative process for a while, given that it has worked against their preferences,” University of Missouri political scientist Peverill Squire recently said. “The voters have been willing to overturn them on several major issues.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Aug. 12, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

Five things to know about Jerry Nolte

Kansas City, Mo. – Voters Tuesday officially selected former Missouri State Representative and Clay County Commissioner Jerry Nolte as the Republican candidate for Senate District 17. However, if you dig into his record, from voting for increased restrictions on abortion to overturning the will of the people on an increase to the minimum wage and costing taxpayers more than a quarter million dollars, it’s clear Nolte is the wrong choice for Missouri.

Here are five things to know about Jerry Nolte:

1. Nolte repeatedly voted to restrict access to abortion. While in Jefferson City, Nolte joined his Republican colleagues in Jefferson City to put restrictions on abortion access in 2008.
   
2. Nolte voted to restrict access to birth control. As a state representative, Nolte voted to make mifepristone – the medical abortion pill – a Schedule 1 drug equivalent to heroin, LSD, or ecstacy.
   
3. Nolte’s bad behavior cost Clay County taxpayers $354,227. As a Clay County Commissioner, Nolte was accused of inappropriate behavior, including harassment and retaliation by five top county employees. A settlement was reached with the employees costing taxpayers $354,227.
   
4. Nolte voted to overturn a voter-approved minimum wage increase. While in the House of Representatives, Nolte voted to overturn a voter-approved minimum wage increase and lower wages for tipped employees. He cosponsored legislation to lower the minimum wage after voters approved an increase by ballot measure in 2006. Paid sick leave with another minimum wage increase is likely to be on the ballot again this November.
   
5. Nolte sides with big business over everyday Missourians. At the start of the 2012 legislative session, Nolte stated he would work to cut Missouri’s business taxes in half. This has been a priority in the legislature in recent years.
   

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Aug. 12, 2024
Contact: liz@progressmo.org

Five things to know about James Coyne

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Running unopposed in the Republican primary, James Coyne only received 70% of the Republican votes for Senate District 19 covering Boone County. Voters’ lack of enthusiasm coincides with Missouri GOP desperation as they struggled to find a replacement for Chuck Bayse, who dropped out due to health concerns. Examining his record and comments further, it’s unclear whether he was vetted before being put on the ticket with less than 48 hours until the filing deadline.  

Here are 5 things to know about James Coyne:  

1. This isn’t Coyne’s first run. Although this is his first nomination as a Republican, Coyne has run for the SD 19 seat before. As an Independent candidate in 2020, Coyne received a total of 72 votes.

2. As an insurance professional, every prediction he made about the Affordable Care Act was wrong. In his 2017 YouTube explainer, Coyne proclaimed the ACA would be dead in two years. But as of 2023 data, more than 258,000 Missourians receive health care coverage through the ACA.   
   
3. Coyne wants to defund local public schools, police, firefighters, roads and more. His policy proposal demanding the elimination of the state’s income tax includes no alternative revenue sources or spending adjustments, which would make critical parts of the state’s operation impossible. The state’s income tax accounts for nearly $10 billion, about 1/5 of the state’s $50.5 billion operating budget.
   
4. He hasn’t met a conspiracy theory he doesn’t believe. While Coyne’s presence on the web and social media is limited, what he has posted is mostly disproven conspiracies. He claims to have been a part of the 2009 Tea Party march on Washington D.C. and that he was going to march on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 before the violent mob attacked our government. His Facebook account has several posts denying the results of the 2020 election. 
    
5. Coyne wants Missouri to use gold and silver as legal tender. As outlined on his campaign website, included among other conspiracy theories, he says Missouri should move away from paper currency to precious metals like Texas.

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