‘I’m BACK.’ How much power will hard-right Missouri Republican senators have next year?

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A hard-right group of state senators who often gridlock the Missouri Senate is poised to maintain its influence, after several Republicans aligned with them won primary elections.

If the candidates win in November, the victories could perpetuate the infighting among Republican senators, which has upended the General Assembly in recent years. The group, called the Missouri Freedom Caucus, could also push the legislature further to the right.

“For all the doubters and Swamp Creatures, I’m BACK,” Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican who chairs the Freedom Caucus, posted on X shortly after winning his GOP primary last week.

Four Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates defeated their Republican rivals in the primary elections last week. The wins come at a time of historic turnover in a Senate plagued by fractures in the GOP-controlled chamber.

But while the Freedom Caucus touts its victories, some Republicans are hopeful that the Senate move past the infighting in 2025.

Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, who will likely take over as Senate president pro tem next year, expressed optimism that the relationships between Republicans will be better. She pointed to the personalities that will be leaving the chamber next year, which includes Sen. Bill Eigel, the vocal leader of the Freedom Caucus.

“Well none of them is running for governor for one thing,” said O’Laughlin, who hails from Shelbina. It was an apparent shot at Eigel, who chewed up hours of floor time last session while mounting an unsuccessful bid for governor.

“When you’re trying to draw as much attention as you can to yourself and the things that you think are important, then that’s a different dynamic than being a senator and serving as one of 34 people. So I think it will be much different.”

Internal conflict defined the Senate last session and derailed a slew of GOP priorities, including a plan to limit direct democracy in the state. Other measures also died, including a bill to ban child marriage and state lawmakers approved a modern record-low 28 non-budget bills.

Republican leaders have largely pointed the blame at members of the Freedom Caucus who, led by Eigel and Brattin, deployed procedural maneuvers, hours-long filibusters and personal attacks to advance hard-right legislation.

For Brattin, the Freedom Caucus’ victories in the primaries showed that the group’s message has resonated with Missourians.

“We definitely showed the people within the chamber that we’re here and we’re here to stay and we’re going to continue to advance,” he said. “We can either get on the same bandwagon or we can continue to be at war with ideals.”

In addition to the Senate primaries, the Freedom Caucus also scored a win when St. Louis-area attorney David Wasinger won the GOP primary for lieutenant governor. Wasinger, who is poised to be aligned with the hard-right caucus if elected, would have the power to preside over the Senate and break tie votes. He would also have the right to participate in debates on legislation.

Another Freedom Caucus member, Sen. Denny Hoskins from Warrensburg, won the Republican primary for secretary of state.

Overhauling direct democracy

Much of the infighting last session centered on a GOP plan to weaken direct democracy through the state’s initiative petition or IP process. It represented the Freedom Caucus’ top priority for the year.

The proposal would have required future amendments to the state constitution to be approved essentially twice, a majority vote in at least five of the state’s eight congressional districts, and a majority vote statewide.

Currently, constitutional amendments only need a majority vote statewide and have been used by voters of both parties to pass policy measures when the General Assembly fails to come to an agreement. For example, Missourians will vote on amendments to legalize abortion and sports betting in November.

While both factions of Republicans said they wanted to pass the plan, the Freedom Caucus used hard-ball tactics to push it to a debate. Some hoped that they could raise the voter approval threshold to block an upcoming vote on abortion rights in November.

They attacked Republican leadership on social media. They read aloud from books. And they held as hostage a series of personnel appointments from Republican Gov. Mike Parson as a bargaining chip.

Republican leaders were infuriated by their tactics and tempers boiled on the Senate floor on several occasions. O’Laughlin called Eigel “the definition of narcissism.” Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican who terms out after this year, said the Freedom Caucus’s tactics were “the biggest show of bad faith I’ve ever seen in my life.”

A few days later, Rowden stripped members of the Freedom Caucus of their committee chairmanships and highly-coveted parking spots within the Capitol.

“A chamber designed to be occupied with civil, principled statesmen and women has been overtaken by a small group of swamp creatures who, all too often, remind me more of my children than my colleagues,” Rowden told reporters at the time.

Brattin said in an interview that the initiative petition legislation was still a top priority for the Freedom Caucus.

“We’ve got to get IP done,” he said, calling it “a requirement.”

The Freedom Caucus leader was less specific about his other policy priorities. When asked about them, Brattin mentioned vague ideas about “protecting children,” expanding school choice options and reining in government spending.

‘Crazy fights’

Democrats have typically been able to use the Republican infighting to their advantage in the GOP-controlled chamber, especially after mounting a record-breaking filibuster last session to block the initiative petition legislation.

But Senate Democrats will also face significant turnover next year, particularly in the Kansas City area after Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo from Independence and Sen. Lauren Arthur from Kansas City vacated their seats.

If Sen. Barbara Washington wins in November, she would be the most experienced senator from Kansas City.

Sen. Doug Beck from St. Louis is now leading the minority caucus. Beck said that the infighting has forced Republicans to rely on Democrats to pass basic legislation such as the state’s budget and a series of taxes that fund Medicaid.

Beck said Democrats hope to hold 13 seats in the 34-senator chamber next year, signaling that the party looks to pick up three more districts. If that happens, Republicans would have a 21 to 13 majority in the chamber.

The Freedom Caucus victories in the primaries showed that “the fight within the Republican Party is alive and well,” he said.

“We consider ourselves the normal caucus,” he said. “We want stability, we want to be able to help government work, do things for the people of Missouri and not have all these crazy fights over other things.”

One of the biggest critics of the Freedom Caucus and its tactics is Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lee’s Summit Republican who has been aligned with Republican leadership in the Senate.

Cierpiot said in an interview that he was hopeful the dynamics between Republicans will be better next year. He said he believes most of the senators who caused chaos over the past few years will have termed out.

“I’m perfectly willing to give it a clean start and see if we can get things done. I think hopefully we go back to the time when people stand up and start talking, it’s for a reason related to the issue at hand,” he said. “It’s the unending talk because somebody’s feelings are hurt or somebody’s upset that will probably come to an end and I think that’s a good thing.”

Heading into next year, O’Laughlin will be tasked with reining in the bombast that has often thwarted many of the Republican priorities over the past few years.

“You have to respect each other,” she said. “And I think that, you know, some of that had kind of gotten kicked to the curb, and we can’t have that.”

O’Laughlin said she plans to visit with each of the Republican candidates in their districts to hear what they want to get done next year. And she thinks most of them will be on the same page.

“I think the Freedom Caucus basically wants the same things that the rest of the Republican senators want,” she said.” So the only question remains, how do you get there?”