Rudi Keller

Rudi Keller

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Rudi Keller covers the state budget and the legislature for Missouri Independent. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, he spent 22 of his 32 years in journalism covering Missouri government and politics for the Columbia Daily Tribune, where he won awards for spot news and investigative reporting.

‘We’ve got to listen’: Missouri Republicans confront fallout from historic election losses
Missouri

‘We’ve got to listen’: Missouri Republicans confront fallout from historic election losses

6:55am ET
Rudi Keller
After losing 16 Missouri House seats Tuesday in their worst election since Watergate, Republicans are questioning whether their own legislative agenda helped drive voters away. Some blamed national political headwinds and low Republican turnout. Others pointed directly to a string...
Democrats flip 16 Missouri House seats, ending Republican supermajority 
Missouri

Democrats flip 16 Missouri House seats, ending Republican supermajority 

Nov 04, 2026
Rudi Keller
The blue wave reached the steps of the Missouri Governor’s Mansion Tuesday when Democrats won the state House seat representing downtown Jefferson City on their way to flipping 16 seats from Republicans across the state. Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s official...
Democrat Fred Wellman ousts Republican Ann Wagner in Missouri congressional upset
Missouri

Democrat Fred Wellman ousts Republican Ann Wagner in Missouri congressional upset

Nov 03, 2026
Rudi Keller
Republican lawmakers redrew Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District to make U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner’s seat safer. On Tuesday, Democrat Fred Wellman won it anyway. Wellman, a retired military officer, was outspent by Wagner and her Republican allies. But he outraised her...
Missouri could approach turnout record as ballot measures drive interest
Missouri

Missouri could approach turnout record as ballot measures drive interest

Nov 03, 2026
Rudi Keller
Missouri election officials say brisk early voting could push Tuesday’s turnout close to — or beyond — the state record for a nonpresidential election. The benchmark is 2018, when 2,442,306 Missourians cast ballots. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins expects about...
Judge rejects constitutional challenge to Missouri property tax caps tied to stadium bill
Missouri

Judge rejects constitutional challenge to Missouri property tax caps tied to stadium bill

Oct 30, 2026
Rudi Keller
A Cole County judge on Wednesday rejected a constitutional challenge to property tax caps lawmakers added to a bill aimed at keeping the Kansas City Chiefs in Missouri. The caps, structured as credits against property tax bills, applied to 97...
Missouri appeals court rejects prison math that turned 23-year sentence into 40 years 
Missouri

Missouri appeals court rejects prison math that turned 23-year sentence into 40 years 

Oct 27, 2026
Rudi Keller
A Missouri man who should have been eligible for release in 2024 remains in prison because the state miscalculated his credit for time he had already served, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. Deandre Pointer was sentenced...
Follow the money: Who’s bankrolling Missouri’s final election push?
Missouri

Follow the money: Who’s bankrolling Missouri’s final election push?

Oct 23, 2026
Rudi Keller
Missouri Democrats confidently predict voter discontent will deliver victories in tight legislative races, but campaign finance reports show Republicans well provisioned for defense. And Republicans are using that financial advantage to shape how voters see their candidates. On Thursday, the...
New temporary leader selected for Missouri education agency
Missouri

New temporary leader selected for Missouri education agency

Oct 21, 2026
Rudi Keller
A day after the surprise resignation of Missouri’s interim commissioner of education, the State Board of Education announced a new interim leader for the state’s public school oversight agency. Lisa Sireno, deputy commissioner of learning services, will lead the Department...
Missouri education chief resigns amid controversy over A-F ratings for public schools
Missouri

Missouri education chief resigns amid controversy over A-F ratings for public schools

Oct 20, 2026
Steph Quinn Annelise Hanshaw Rudi Keller
Missouri interim Commissioner of Education Stacey Preis resigned Tuesday after just four months on the job amid speculation she was about to be fired. Speaking to reporters while the State Board of Education met in a closed session, Preis didn’t...
Republicans pour $300,000 into defense of GOP-leaning Senate seat in northwest Missouri
Missouri

Republicans pour $300,000 into defense of GOP-leaning Senate seat in northwest Missouri

Oct 20, 2026
Rudi Keller
Donald Trump carried Missouri’s 34th Senate District by 11 percentage points in 2024. The incumbent Republican state senator won re-election two years earlier by 18 points. Yet with Election Day approaching, Republicans have spent more than $300,000 on television advertising...
Missouri Democrats gain ground in polls, but congressional races remain uphill battles
Missouri

Missouri Democrats gain ground in polls, but congressional races remain uphill battles

Oct 19, 2026
Rudi Keller
Missouri Republicans’ advantage among voters has narrowed sharply this year, but that shift may do little to change the state’s congressional delegation on Nov. 3. An August St. Louis University/YouGov survey showed Missourians were just about evenly split between Republicans...
Missouri Democrats aim to break Republicans’ streak of House supermajorities
Missouri

Missouri Democrats aim to break Republicans’ streak of House supermajorities

Oct 15, 2026
Rudi Keller
Over five consecutive elections from 1974 through 1982, Missouri Democrats elected supermajorities — more than two-thirds of the 163 members — to the Missouri House. The party drew its strength from rural voters, union households and Black-majority urban districts. The...