After four years out of office, former Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal is trying to make a comeback in the closely watched 1st Congressional District contest that includes incumbent Cori Bush and St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell.
During her 16 years in the Missouri General Assembly, Chappelle-Nadal was often at the forefront of major policy issues — everything from radioactive waste exposure to education. And she became a prominent voice in Jefferson City after a Ferguson police officer fatally shot Michael Brown in 2014.
Chappelle-Nadal was a late entrant to the race and has raised much less money than either Bush or Bell. But she said on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air that she wants to offer voters in the St. Louis and St. Louis County district another choice on Aug. 6.
“I started really late in February of this year. And usually you do not start a campaign so late, but I thought it was incumbent that I put my name in the ring for this seat,” Chappelle-Nadal said. “And I recognize as well that I don't have the same bank as my opponents. What I do know is that people are relying on me to tell everyone what is important in this race.”
One of the paradoxes of the 1st Congressional District contest is that much of Bell’s outside support comes from groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who are upset with Bush’s criticism of Israel. But since the 1st Congressional District has a plurality of Black residents, all the candidates, including Chappelle-Nadal, agree that Bush’s advocacy for Palestinians won’t be a determinative factor in how African Americans decide the race.
That’s because national polling puts issues like crime and the economy as much higher priorities among Black voters than a candidate’s opinion on Israel.
“When I'm out in the streets, talking to voters every single day, they're talking about their housing. They're talking about jobs. They're talking about education. And most importantly, they're talking about crime,” Chappelle-Nadal said. “And so, there are varying issues that people care about, and Israel just happens to be one of them.”
Chappelle-Nadal said she is in favor of what’s known as a two-state solution. That involves the establishment of a state of Palestine alongside a state of Israel.
“When I was in Israel in 2009, I understood that it was very important for there to be a two-state solution,” she said. “I think that's what's fair.”
Focus on crime and housing
Chappelle-Nadal received national attention in the weeks after the shooting death of Brown, including her at times blistering criticism of then-Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.
She said she would like to see federal policy that not only holds police officers accountable, but also provides assistance to young people who may turn to crime from an early age.
“In the last two years, what I've been doing is reading a lot of police reports and have found that there are large numbers of young people who have been engaged in crime,” she said. “On the other side of the spectrum, I understand that we have some bad apples in our law enforcement.”
She also said she would be aggressive in trying to provide federal incentives to cultivate housing throughout the St. Louis region. That includes working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Missouri Housing Development Commission to find resources for traditional and nontraditional developers.
“What I see when I'm going door to door and talking to residents, I asked them the question: ‘How safe do you feel, knowing that at least six or seven of the houses on your block are vacant and run-down?” she said. “It’s just really sad to see it. I want development.”
One of Chappelle-Nadal’s other priorities is restitution for St. Louisans who became sickened because of radioactive waste exposure. She said she would be an effective advocate to get legislation across the finish line, even though other lawmakers from both parties have tried and failed recently to enact that policy.
“We have to understand that in order to pass legislation, you have to be able to count numbers and understand what you're talking about,” she said. “People are looking for a legislator who not only can metabolize information, but can articulate it. I have been working on the radioactive waste issue for 14 years now. And I am one of the policy experts in the entire state. And I'm proud of that.”
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr and the production intern is Roshae Hemmings. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
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