Terry Smith

Raphael Warnock defeated Herschel Walker in last week’s runoff election in Georgia and gave Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate. You may be thinking that they already had a majority with the vote of Vice President Harris, and you would be right. But Warnock’s win means a great deal more than just one extra seat for Democrats.

When we went on the air Tuesday night on KBIA to cover the election I said the big story is on which end of the continuum will Democrats fall: Democratic Miracle or Democratic Disaster? We have at least partial answers.

Today’s commentary is one of my favorites – forecasting next week’s elections after talking to my Democratic and Republican insiders. As usual, they agree more than they disagree, but the disagreements are sharper this time. Let’s get right to it.

This year there have been hundreds of elections for Congress. Most have been primaries to nominate candidates for the November election. But there have been a few special elections held to fill vacancies in the U.S. House of Representatives. State governors can fill U.S. Senate vacancies by appointment, but must call elections to fill House vacancies.None of these special elections has been more consequential than the one a few weeks ago to fill the vacancy in Alaska created by the death of the House’s longest-serving member, Don Young.

I just finished The Man Who Broke Capitalism, a book by David Gelles. The subtitle, How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America, illuminates a dispiriting tale of how a ruthless and greedy CEO destroyed General Electric, once one of the best known and most successful businesses in the country, and, more importantly, ushered in a new economy dominated by downsizing, off-shoring and financial manipulation.

In the runup to the marquee U.S. Senate primary in Missouri last week, the political world was holding its breath in anticipation of a Trump endorsement.

Dr. Brouder, who died on June 22, was one of Columbia’s leading citizens. In 1995 he was appointed president of Columbia College, where I was his executive vice president and dean for academic affairs for seventeen years. Before that he had a distinguished career as a faculty member, department chair, provost and interim chancellor at MU.

Recently I caught up with my Republican and Democrat insiders – it had been a while – for their take on the 2022 election campaign. As usual, they agreed more than disagreed, and their disagreements were enlightening.

A once-proud and dominant Missouri Democratic Party is in disarray. There are multiple reasons for this.State Democrats were hit by tragic bad luck – twice.

Remember these two numbers: 110 and 45.In 1968 Kit Bond, a moderate Republican, made his first foray into electoral politics. He ran in Missouri’s long-gone Ninth Congressional District against long-time incumbent Bill Hungate, a moderate Democrat.My wife’s elderly uncle lived in Mexico, in the heart of the district. His politics were staunchly conservative. I said: “So you’re voting for Bond, right?” He said: “No, he’s the Republican.”