Free Republic

I just received a really odd robocall. I didn't answer it, but heard the whole thing on the answering machine. It was Obama shilling for Chris Koster, talking about how he would raise the minimum wage, build on Obamacare, and protect Obama's legacy from the Republicans. At the end was the usual line that said it was paid for by some Democrat organization...then there was another statement that it was paid for by supporters of Eric Greitens. In SW MO, Koster's ads all portray him as a conservative. I heard that he runs different ads in Kansas City and St....

The NRA has been a bi-partisan group, at least since the formation of the NRA-ILA in 1975. The NRA-ILA is the lobbying arm of the NRA.In the last few elections, few Democrats have been endorsed, because few Democrats supported the Second Amendment in any meaningful way.As they say, the NRA did not leave the Democrat Party.  The Democrat Party left the NRA. There are exceptions.  A controversial pick was Harry Reid, Senator (D) from Nevada, who got an A rating from the NRA.  Many have wanted the NRA-ILA to broaden their criteria to issues other than the right to...

Former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens won the Republican primary for Missouri governor Tuesday after a hard-fought race in which he cast himself as a conservative outsider willing to use his military bravado to blow up perceived corruption in government. Greitens prevailed over another self-described outsider, businessman John Brunner, and a pair of more experienced Republican leaders — longtime Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and former Missouri House Speaker and U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway. He will face Attorney General Chris Koster, who easily won the Democratic gubernatorial primary, in the Nov. 8 general election. The Missouri governor's office will be open...

Missouri Democrats face an uphill fight to sustain Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill eliminating training requirements to carry a concealed firearm. Same goes for another bill Nixon vetoed that would require voters to provide a government-issued photo ID before being allowed to cast a ballot. Complicating their efforts is the fact that their all-but-certain nominee for governor supports both bills. Attorney General Chris Koster, who faces only token opposition in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary to replace term-limited Nixon, said he saw no reason to veto the wide-ranging gun bill.

Congressman Steve King released the following statement in response to the California Egg Law lawsuit being rejected. This lawsuit was filed by the state of Missouri, along with five others, to eliminate a California law that prohibits the sale of eggs laid by hens held in cages they deem “too small.” Mr. King’s Protect Interstate Commerce Act (PICA), which the California lawsuit originates from, was attached to the House Farm Bill during markup in the House Agriculture Committee last year but was ultimately not accepted with the final Farm Bill Act of 2014. This act would prohibit any state from...

Republican John Koster, a candidate for Congress in the 1st District, received a $5,000 contribution from SarahPAC, the political organization headed by Sarah Palin. Koster is in a tight race with Democrat Suzan DelBene to represent the 1st District, a newly drawn swing district that runs from Redmond to the Canadian border. Palin endorsed Koster in 2010, when he ran against Democrat Rick Larsen. Koster’s far-right tea party ties have been a major talking point for the DelBene campaign, which has branded Koster “too extreme” for the 1st District. Koster’s campaign says DelBene is too liberal...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s Democratic attorney general broke with his party on Monday and urged a federal judge to invalidate the central provision of the new health care law. The filing of the court brief by Attorney General Chris Koster, a onetime Republican state legislator who switched to the Democratic Party in 2007, underscores the act’s political tenuousness in a critical Midwestern swing state. Mr. Koster’s action followed months of pressure from state Republicans that he join attorneys general from other states who are challenging the constitutionality of the law. Rather than join the litigation, however, Mr. Koster chose...

It's always interesting to note how candidates interact in the moments before a debate. We just concluded taping a debate between John Koster and Rick Larsen that will air on KING 5 News Up Front this weekend. You'd think these two might share some history, both growing up in Arlington and running against each other 10 years ago. But it's clear, they both have little in common on camera and off. In fact, the debate got a bit testy at times. Also today, a new KING 5 poll shows Republican challenger Koster slightly ahead of Democratic incumbent Rick in the...

Representative Cathie McMorris Rodgers and businessman John Koster rolled to primary wins Tuesday night in their respective legislative districts. Incumbent Congresswoman Rodgers (R) has represented the 5th congressional district that includes Spokane since 2005. She won 63% of the vote. She will face Democratic rival Daryl Romelyn who attracted 12% of the vote. By Washington law, the top two vote getters in a primary square off in the general, regardless of party. Both Rodgers and Koster were endorsed by Gov. Sarah Palin.

I’m happy to endorse John Koster for Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. John is a strong pro-family, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-development fiscal conservative who will work to rein in the excesses of an out of control federal government. He’s just the sort of Constitutional Commonsense Conservative we need in DC. John’s free market principles are rooted in his real life experience as a business owner of a dairy farm in North Snohomish County. He served his community with integrity and distinction on the Snohomish County Council and in the Washington State House of Representatives. And now he would like to serve in...

JEFFERSON CITY — Chris Koster, a Republican state senator and champion of stem cell research, is expected to announce today that he is switching to the Democratic Party. Koster, a candidate for attorney general next year, will hold news conferences in Columbia, Harrisonville and St. Louis. In a news release, he promised "a speech that may transform the political landscape of Missouri." Koster, of Harrisonville near Kansas City, resigned late Tuesday as chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. His resignation letter, hand-delivered by Koster's secretary to the office of Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons, gave no explanation. < snip...

Corporate Hillton Apparatchiks have given credence to the old adage, “No good deed goes unpunished” by their not renewing Fran O’Brien’s renewable lease. Since October of 2003 Hal Koster, a two-tour Vietnam veteran and Jim Mayer, a combat injured Vietnam veteran and long time advocate for veterans and a small group of volunteers have been hosting a dinner each and every Friday night for the severely injured patients of Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Ward 57 and severely injured sailors and Marines at Bethesda Naval Medical Center and their families. This was begun as part of a promise to insure...

DANVERS, Mass. -- A Lawrence man was charged with murder Friday after he allegedly tried to steal a car and the owner was dragged and killed while trying to stop him, police said. NewsCenter 5's Jorge Quiroga reported that the incident happened on Route 114 in Danvers Thursday night. Roy Dowds Jr., 31, pleaded not guilty in Salem District Court to charges of murder, larceny of a motor vehicle, subsequent offense, leaving the scene of an accident after causing personal injury and death, operating under the influence of liquor and operating with a suspended license. "(Dowds) conceded that if it...