Ann Wagner, the Republican congresswoman supposedly representing the Mo. 2nd District, regularly votes against the interests of her own constituents. She votes with Trump and the financial interests that brought her to office – corporate lobbyists.
Legalized bribery.
Now, Democrats hope they have a chance to vote out Wagner.
The election on Nov. 4 will pit Wagner against Democratic State Sen. Jill Schupp. Schupp is a Creve Coeur resident and former teacher, school board member and city council member.
You probably haven’t seen much of Wagner. Even before the pandemic, she refused to hold open town hall meetings to meet with constituents.
These days, Wagner tries to portray herself as a moderate Republican. She hopes voters forget that she led the successful effort to overturn the “fiduciary rule,” which said financial advisors should represent the interests of investors and not charge them unnecessary fees.
Wagner’s largest single source of campaign money is brokerage Edward Jones, which claims the fiduciary rule was hurting its business.
Unfortunately, St. Louis media have done little to cover Wagner’s voting record (or that of other local members of Congress.)
The last correspondent in the Post-Dispatch Washington bureau retired in May 2019. He hasn’t been replaced in a bureau that once numbered seven or eight.
As far as I can tell, no other St. Louis area media has correspondents in D.C. or tracks the voting records of Missouri members of Congress.
You’ll see occasional news reports based upon press releases out of Washington. And campaign stories with candidates telling us what they are for. But little or no independent reporting of how members of Congress vote and how their votes track with who gives them money.
This helps politicians like Wagner who don’t want voters to know they vote against the voters and for the money.
Please remember in November.
MICHAEL SORKIN
United Media Guild (retired)
Former Post-Dispatch investigative reporter
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