93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Missouri’s top Senate Republican says communication will be key for his party, during the 2023 legislative session.
Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) is expected to become Senate President Pro Tem in January. He tells 939 the Eagle’s “Gary Nolan show” that a center-right message will appeal to Missourians.
“We haven’t always done a good job, I think we’ve kind of taken for granted the fact that we are in those majorities and majorities of that size. We haven’t done a good enough job of explaining what we’re doing, why we’re doing it,” Rowden says.
Senator Rowden notes Republicans have lost ground in some suburban areas in Missouri.
Education, including critical race theory (CRT), will also be a top priority in 2023 for the Missouri Senate’s GOP supermajority.
“CRT issue which I think broadens itself to a parents’ bill of rights. More accountability and transparency for parents. And ultimately I think the end goal being to give those parents that have more transparency and accountability a chance to move their kid if they don’t like what they’re seeing,” says Rowden.
He says other priorities for his caucus will include initiative petition reform and foreign ownership of Missouri farmland.
The GOP will have supermajorities in both chambers in 2023 in Jefferson City. They’ll control the Senate 24-10 and the House 111-52.
