On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, Jo Mannies reunites with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum for a special edition of the show featuring former Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt.
Blunt served as the state’s chief executive from 2005 to 2009. He was the first Republican governor to serve with a GOP-controlled General Assembly in modern history.
Blunt was a third-generation elected official. His father is U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, who also served as congressman, secretary of state and Greene County clerk. His late grandfather, Leroy Blunt, was a state legislator representing part of southwest Missouri.
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1993, Blunt embarked on a career in the Navy that lasted for 14 years. He served for six months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom during his tenure as secretary of state, which made him the first statewide official in Missouri history to be called in for military service.
Blunt served as a state representative for one term before being elected secretary of state in 2000. Blunt then won a closely contested race for governor in 2004 against then-Auditor Claire McCaskill.
Thanks to a GOP-controlled legislature, Blunt was able to enact a host of consequential policies that are still in place. That includes a major overhaul of the state’s Medicaid system and curbs on how lawsuits are filed. Blunt also signed bills substantially restricting abortion — and also signed off on changing Southwest Missouri State University’s name to Missouri State University.
Some aspects of Blunt’s administration were contentious. For instance, Democrats lambasted his decision to lower eligibility for Medicaid. He also had a rocky relationship with then-Attorney General Jay Nixon, who eventually succeeded him as governor.
After leaving office, Blunt became the president of the American Automotive Policy Council — which advocates for the Big Three automakers that are based in the United States. Blunt has emerged as a major figure in discussing how trade policies affect companies like Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors.
Blunt is the fourth former Missouri governor to record an episode of Politically Speaking. The others are Kit Bond, Bob Holden and Jay Nixon.
Here’s what Blunt had to say during the show:
- He talked about his group’s interaction with President Donald Trump’s administration, especially when it comes to trade policies.
- Blunt spoke about the impact of his administration on the state’s Medicaid program. And he also discussed a program that didn’t pass — Insure Missouri, which sought to offer private insurance to the working poor.
- He talked about his decision not to run for a second term in 2008. That decision caused a domino effect of sorts, with then-U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof and then-Treasurer Sarah Steelman running for governor.
- He also touched on some of the themes of his recent Lincoln Days speech, including what the modern-day GOP needs to do to win elections during the 2020 cycle.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Jo Mannies on Twitter: @jmannies
Follow Matt Blunt on Twitter: @MattBlunt
Music: "Electioneering" by Radiohead
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