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Politically Speaking: A closer look at St. Louis County’s fractious election cycle

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger confers with Councilman Pat Dolan at a Dec. 19, 2017, meeting of the St. Louis County Council.
File Photo | Carolina Hidalgo | St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger confers with Councilman Pat Dolan at a Dec. 19, 2017, meeting of the St. Louis County Council.

This week’s Politically Speaking takes a look at three competitive elections in St. Louis County. It comes as relations between St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger and the St. Louis County Council have deteriorated.

Stenger is facing an expensive bid for re-election against businessman Mark Mantovani. St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch is engaged in an increasingly high-profile race against Ferguson City Councilman Wesley Bell. And two Democrats are challenging Councilman Pat Dolan’s bid for re-election.

The outcome of these races could have a long-lasting impact on Missouri politics. That’s because St. Louis County is one of the most important Democratic voting bases — and a strong turnout there could be crucial in November for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and state Auditor Nicole Galloway.

Even if Stenger prevails against Mantovani, he still may have a hostile County Council for at least a couple of years. If Lisa Clancy or Michael Burton end up beating Dolan, Stenger will have no allies on the council anymore.

Click here to read all of St. Louis Public Radio’s coverage of the 2018 primary.

Follow Jason on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jo on Twitter: @jmannies

Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rlippmann

Music: "No One is to Blame" by Howard Jones

Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.
Jo Mannies is a freelance journalist and former political reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.
Rachel is the justice correspondent at St. Louis Public Radio.