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St. Louis area reacts to Biden’s departure from presidential race

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President Joe Biden’s abrupt departure from the 2024 presidential contest Sunday could breathe new life in Democratic chances to retain the White House — especially if the party rallies behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy — according to some local Democrats.U.S. Rep. Cori Bush told reporters Sunday that she “unequivocally” backs Harris to be her party’s standard bearer against Donald Trump.“I am glad that the President cares more about defeating Donald Trump in November,” said Bush, D-St. Louis County. “He’s doing exactly what he’s been doing, which is listening to the will of the people.”Biden announced Sunday he would not accept the Democratic nomination for president — which came after a disastrous June debate that led to numerous members of his party calling on him to step aside. He then endorsed Harris, who subsequently announced that she will be running for the nomination.

Eric Lee

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St. Louis Public RadioU.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis County, shown here in April outside the U.S. Capitol, is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed Biden for the Democratic nomination.

Bush said that she’s had a good working relationship with Harris’ office during her time in office. She added it’s not lost on her that a Black woman could be at the top of the ticket.“To have the first Black woman president is something that I want to see happen in my lifetime,” Bush said. “And so, I do believe that there are people who want to see that. And not just Black people. We need our government to look like and have the values of the people that are in this country.”Bush’s sentiments were echoed by others at a barbeque in Forest Park on Sunday, including East St. Louis resident Dameon Christian.“Do I like her? I love her!” said Christian, who is a florist in the Central West End. “That’s my sister.”St. Louis Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard also enthusiastically backed Harris, adding that she could boost Democrats in red states like Missouri.“I think it’s an amazing time, unprecedented times. But I think that at the same time, we all need to galvanize behind her,” Hubbard said. “All of us rising together with this Black woman at the top of the ticket.”St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier added if Harris is the nominee Missouri Democrats could benefit — especially with residents likely to vote on a ballot measure legalizing abortion later this year.“She definitely brings a boost of energy to Missouri Democrats,” Sonnier said.

Brian Munoz

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St. Louis Public RadioVice President Kamala Harris, shown here in October 2023 in St. Louis, announced Sunday she would seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Biden shortly after he announced he would depart from the race.

Skeptics remainBut even local voters who agree with the president’s decision not to run for another term say they have mixed feelings about what happens next.Rodney Williams a south St. Louis resident who voted for both Trump and Biden, said he’s wanted the President to end his campaign after recent public stumbles. But with the election less than four months away, he doubts the party’s ability to effectively mobilize around a new candidate.“I think that the Democratic Party is going to have a major problem because you don’t have too long before the election and you need to have somebody who’s comparable to stand and run, but have the votes of the people at the same time,” he said.Williams also says he’s uncertain if that person could be Harris.“I just hope everything turns out for the best for the country because we need it,” said Williams.Austin Carnes of Creve Coeur, who identifies as politically independent, said the end of Biden’s campaign felt “inevitable” after his poor debate performance last month, but after the show of unity at the Republican National Convention last week, the move feels especially consequential.“I think that the pressure for him to drop out should have happened two years ago – I think if that was going to happen, that’s when it needed to happen. But now with the Republican party so unified, I think that four months before the election is way too late for him to be dropping out,” Carnes said.St. Louis resident Julia Schlegel said she had been disappointed with how Biden handled Israel’s military invasion of Gaza.Whether Biden’s departure will be a positive thing for Democrats and the country is unclear, she said.“I very much am happy about that aspect of it,” Schlegel said. “And I feel like I saw his aging. I saw that he wasn’t as able as he needed to be to run a huge country.”

Eric Lee

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St. Louis Public RadioU.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, shown here in April in Washington, D.C., is calling on President Joe Biden to immediately step down

Support and criticism of BidenSt. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones posted a statementcelebrating Biden’s work which she says has “delivered tangible results” for city residents, including the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She added that she supports Harris as the party’s next nominee.Illinois’ Democratic U.S. Senators issued statements thanking the President for his public service.Sen. Tammy Duckworth praised Biden “for, once again, putting our country before himself.”Sen. Dick Durbin said it will be the job of the party to “unite behind a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump and keep America moving in the right direction.”He added: “I will do everything in my power to help that effort,” but did not offer who that person may be.Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski of Springfield called Biden “the most productive and consequential president of her lifetime,” celebrating investments in central and southern Illinois in a statementthat also voiced her support for Harris.Some Republicans are urging Biden to step down before the November election.Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, issued a statement that said if White House staff and Democrats agree Biden is unfit to campaign, that calls into question his ability to run the country.Missouri’s senior U.S. Senator, Republican Josh Hawley, shared the President’s statement on X along with a call for him to resign. Hawley’s Senate colleague Eric Schmitt echoed the sentiment, concluding if the president “isn’t fit enough to serve as a candidate after the primary, he isn’t fit to serve as president now.”“Americans are ready for new leadership, not more of the same from Democrats – regardless of who they now scramble to nominate,” Schmitt said.Illinois Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller said in a statement, which begun with criticism of Harris for having stood by the president, that the “American people deserve to know who is actually running the country right now since the Democrats are finally admitting it is not Joe Biden.”The Illinois Democratic Party, which is preparing for its national convention in Chicago next month, issued a statement praising the President for his work and reiterating the importance of defeating Trump in November.”The work continues and we are ready to face the challenges ahead with unity and resolve,” the statement said.It does not endorse a specific candidate or elaborate on the process of choosing Biden’s replacement.

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Poll: Support for Missouri abortion rights amendment growing

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A proposed constitutional amendment legalizing abortion in Missouri received support from more than half of respondents in a new poll from St. Louis University and YouGov.That’s a boost from a poll earlier this year, which could mean what’s known as Amendment 3 is in a solid position to pass in November.SLU/YouGov’s poll of 900 likely Missouri voters from Aug. 8-16 found that 52% of respondents would vote for Amendment 3, which would place constitutional protections for abortion up to fetal viability. Thirty-four percent would vote against the measure, while 14% aren’t sure.By comparison, the SLU/YouGov poll from February found that 44% of voters would back the abortion legalization amendment.St. Louis University political science professor Steven Rogers said 32% of Republicans and 53% of independents would vote for the amendment. That’s in addition to nearly 80% of Democratic respondents who would approve the measure. In the previous poll, 24% of Republicans supported the amendment.Rogers noted that neither Amendment 3 nor a separate ballot item raising the state’s minimum wage is helping Democratic candidates. GOP contenders for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer and secretary of state all hold comfortable leads.“We are seeing this kind of crossover voting, a little bit, where there are voters who are basically saying, ‘I am going to the polls and I’m going to support a Republican candidate, but I’m also going to go to the polls and then I’m also going to try to expand abortion access and then raise the minimum wage,’” Rogers said.Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Kehoe has a 51%-41% lead over Democrat Crystal Quade. And U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is leading Democrat Lucas Kunce by 53% to 42%. Some GOP candidates for attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer have even larger leads over their Democratic rivals.

Brian Munoz

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St. Louis Public RadioHundreds of demonstrators pack into a parking lot at Planned Parenthood of St. Louis and Southwest Missouri on June 24, 2022, during a demonstration following the Supreme Court’s reversal of a case that guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion.

One of the biggest challenges for foes of Amendment 3 could be financial.Typically, Missouri ballot initiatives with well-funded and well-organized campaigns have a better chance of passing — especially if the opposition is underfunded and disorganized. Since the end of July, the campaign committee formed to pass Amendment 3 received more than $3 million in donations of $5,000 or more.That money could be used for television advertisements to improve the proposal’s standing further, Rogers said, as well as point out that Missouri’s current abortion ban doesn’t allow the procedure in the case of rape or incest.“Meanwhile, the anti side won’t have those resources to kind of try to make that counter argument as strongly, and they don’t have public opinion as strongly on their side,” Rogers said.There is precedent of a well-funded initiative almost failing due to opposition from socially conservative voters.In 2006, a measure providing constitutional protections for embryonic stem cell research nearly failed — even though a campaign committee aimed at passing it had a commanding financial advantage.Former state Sen. Bob Onder was part of the opposition campaign to that measure. He said earlier this month it is possible to create a similar dynamic in 2024 against Amendment 3, if social conservatives who oppose abortion rights can band together.“This is not about reproductive rights or care for miscarriages or IVF or anything else,” said Onder, the GOP nominee for Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District seat. “Missourians will learn that out-of-state special interests and dark money from out of state is lying to them and they will reject this amendment.”Quade said earlier this month that Missourians of all political ideologies are ready to roll back the state’s abortion ban.“Regardless of political party, we hear from folks who are tired of politicians being in their doctor’s offices,” Quade said. “They want politicians to mind their own business. So this is going to excite folks all across the political spectrum.”

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Democrat Mark Osmack makes his case for Missouri treasurer

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Mark Osmack has been out of the electoral fray for awhile, but he never completely abandoned his passion for Missouri politics.Osmack, a Valley Park native and U.S. Army veteran, previously ran for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District seat and for state Senate. Now he’s the Democratic nominee for state treasurer after receiving a phone call from Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan asking him to run.“There’s a lot of decision making and processing and evaluation that goes into it, which is something I am very passionate and interested in,” Osmack said this week on an episode of Politically Speaking.Osmack is squaring off against state Treasurer Vivek Malek, who was able to easily win a crowded GOP primary against several veteran lawmakers including House Budget Chairman Cody Smith and state Sen. Andrew Koenig.While Malek was able to attract big donations to his political action committee and pour his own money into the campaign, Osmack isn’t worried that he won’t be able to compete in November. Since Malek was appointed to his post, Osmack contends he hasn’t proven that he’s a formidable opponent in a general election.“His actions and his decision making so far in his roughly two year tenure in that office have been questionable,” Osmack said.Among other things, Osmack was critical of Malek for placing unclaimed property notices on video gaming machines which are usually found in gas stations or convenience stores. The legality of the machines has been questioned for some time.As Malek explained on his own episode of Politically Speaking, he wanted to make sure the unclaimed property program was as widely advertised as possible. But he acknowledged it was a mistake to put the decals close to the machines and ultimately decided to remove them.Osmack said: “This doesn’t even pass the common sense sniff test of, ‘Hey, should I put state stickers claiming you might have a billion dollars on a gambling machine that is not registered with the state of Missouri?’ If we’re gonna give kudos for him acknowledging the wrong thing, it never should have been done in the first place.”Osmack’s platform includes supporting programs providing school meals using Missouri agriculture products and making child care more accessible for the working class.He said the fact that Missouri has such a large surplus shows that it’s possible to create programs to make child care within reach for parents.“It is quite audacious for [Republicans] to brag about $8 billion, with a B, dollars in state surplus, while we offer next to no social services to include pre-K, daycare, or child care,” Osmack said.Here’s are some other topics Osmack discussed on the show:How he would handle managing the state’s pension systems and approving low-income housing tax credits. The state treasurer’s office is on boards overseeing both of those programs.Malek’s decision to cut off investments from Chinese companies. Osmack said that Missouri needs to be cautious about abandoning China as a business partner, especially since they’re a major consumer of the state’s agriculture products. “There’s a way to make this work where we are not supporting communist nations to the detriment of the United States or our allies, while also maintaining strong economic ties that benefit Missouri farmers,” he said.What it was like to witness the skirmish at the Missouri State Fair between U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce.Whether Kunce can get the support of influential groups like the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which often channels money and staff to states with competitive Senate elections.

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As Illinois receives praise for its cannabis equity efforts, stakeholders work on system’s flaws

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Medical marijuana patients can now purchase cannabis grown by small businesses as part of their allotment, Illinois’ top cannabis regulator said, but smaller, newly licensed cannabis growers are still seeking greater access to the state’s medical marijuana customers.Illinois legalized medicinal marijuana beginning in 2014, then legalized it for recreational use in 2020. While the 2020 law legalized cannabis use for any adult age 21 or older, it did not expand licensing for medical dispensaries.Patients can purchase marijuana as part of the medical cannabis program at dual-purpose dispensaries, which are licensed to serve both medical and recreational customers. But dual-purpose dispensaries are greatly outnumbered by dispensaries only licensed to sell recreationally, and there are no medical-only dispensaries in the state.As another part of the adult-use legalization law, lawmakers created a “craft grow” license category that was designed to give more opportunities to Illinoisans hoping to legally grow and sell marijuana. The smaller-scale grow operations were part of the 2020 law’s efforts to diversify the cannabis industry in Illinois.Prior to that, all cultivation centers in Illinois were large-scale operations dominated by large multi-state operators. The existing cultivators, mostly in operation since 2014, were allowed to grow recreational cannabis beginning in 2019.Until recently, dual-purpose dispensaries have been unsure as to whether craft-grown products, made by social equity licensees — those who have lived in a disproportionately impacted area or have been historically impacted by the war on drugs — can be sold medicinally as part of a patient’s medical allotment.Erin Johnson, the state’s cannabis regulation oversight officer, told Capitol News Illinois last month that her office has “been telling dispensaries, as they have been asking us” they can now sell craft-grown products to medical patients.“There was just a track and trace issue on our end, but never anything statutorily,” she said.

Dilpreet Raju

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Capitol News IllinoisThe graphic shows how cannabis grown in Illinois gets from cultivation centers to customers.

No notice has been posted, but Johnson’s verbal guidance comes almost two years after the first craft grow business went online in Illinois.It allows roughly 150,000 medical patients, who dispensary owners say are the most consistent purchasers of marijuana, to buy products made by social equity businesses without paying recreational taxes. However — even as more dispensaries open — the number available to medical patients has not increased since 2018, something the Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office “desperately” wants to see changed. Johnson said Illinois is a limited license state, meaning “there are caps on everything” to help control the relatively new market.Berwyn Thompkins, who operates two cannabis businesses, said the rules limited options for patients and small businesses.“It’s about access,” Thompkins said. “Why wouldn’t we want all the patients — which the (adult-use) program was initially built around — why wouldn’t we want them to have access? They should have access to any dispensary.”Customers with a medical marijuana card pay a 1% tax on all marijuana products, whereas recreational customers pay retail taxes between roughly 20 and 40% on a given cannabis product, when accounting for local taxes.While Illinois has received praise for its equity-focused cannabis law, including through an independent study that showed more people of color own cannabis licenses than in any other state, some industry operators say they’ve experienced many unnecessary hurdles getting their businesses up and running.The state, in fact, announced last month that it had opened its 100th social equity dispensary.But Steve Olson, purchasing manager at a pair of dispensaries (including one dual-purpose dispensary) near Rockford, said small specialty license holders have been left in the lurch since the first craft grower opened in October 2022.“You would think that this would be something they’re (the government) trying to help out these social equity companies with, but they’re putting handcuffs on them in so many different spots,” he said. “One of them being this medical thing.”Olson said he contacted state agencies, including the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, months ago about whether craft products can be sold to medical patients at their retail tax rate, but only heard one response: “They all say it was an oversight.”This potentially hurt social equity companies because they sell wholesale to dispensaries and may have been missing out on a consistent customer base through those medical dispensaries.Olson said the state’s attempts to provide licensees with a path to a successful business over the years, such as with corrective lotteries that granted more social equity licenses, have come up short.“It’s like they almost set up the social equity thing to fail so the big guys could come in and swoop up all these licenses,” Olson said. “I hate to feel like that but, if you look at it, it’s pretty black and white.”Olson said craft companies benefit from any type of retail sale.“If we sell it to medical patients or not, it’s a matter of, ‘Are we collecting the proper taxes?’ That’s all it is,” he said.State revenue from cannabis taxes, licensing costs and other fees goes into the Cannabis Regulation Fund, which is used to fund a host of programs, including cannabis offense expungement, the general revenue fund, and the R3 campaign aiming to uplift disinvested communities.For fiscal year 2024, nearly $256 million was paid out from Cannabis Regulation Fund for related initiatives, which includes almost $89 million transferred to the state’s general revenue fund and more than $20 million distributed to local governments, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue.Medical access still limitedThe state’s 55 medical dispensaries that predate the 2020 legalization law, mostly owned by publicly traded multistate operators that had been operating in Illinois since 2014 under the state’s medical marijuana program, were automatically granted a right to licenses to sell recreationally in January 2020. That gave them a dual-purpose license that no new entrants into the market can receive under current law.Since expanding their clientele in 2020, Illinois dispensaries have sold more than $6 billion worth of cannabis products through recreational transactions alone.Nearly two-thirds of dispensaries licensed to sell to medical patients are in the northeast counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will. Dual-purpose dispensaries only represent about 20 percent of the state’s dispensaries.While the state began offering recreational dispensary licenses since the adult-use legalization law passed, it has not granted a new medical dispensary license since 2018. That has allowed the established players to continue to corner the market on the state’s nearly 150,000 medical marijuana patients.But social equity licensees and advocates say there are more ways to level the playing field, including expanding access to medical sales.Johnson, who became the state’s top cannabis regulator in late 2022, expressed hope for movement during the fall veto session on House Bill 2911, which would expand medical access to all Illinois dispensaries.“We would like every single dispensary in Illinois to be able to serve medical patients,” Johnson said. “It’s something that medical patients have been asking for, for years.”Johnson said the bill would benefit patients and small businesses.“It’s something we desperately want to happen as a state system, because we want to make sure that medical patients are able to easily access what they need,” she said. “We also think it’s good for our social equity dispensaries, as they’re opening, to be able to serve medical patients.”Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who was the first statewide project coordinator for Illinois’ medical cannabis program prior to joining the legislature, wrote in an email to Capitol News Illinois that the state needs to be doing more for its patients.“Illinois is failing the state’s 150,000 medical cannabis patients with debilitating conditions. Too many are still denied the patient protections they deserve, including access to their medicine,” Morgan wrote, adding he would continue to work with stakeholders on further legislation.Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.

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