Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Jason Taylor

Early season snow storm dumps seven-plus inches in parts of east-central Missouri

By

UPDATED at 4:30 a.m. Thursday

The second biggest pre-November 15 snow event on record in east-central Missouri bogged down traffic in the St. Louis area.  National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Deitsch says snow plows haven’t kept up with snowfall that could total eight inches in some places.  “Most roads that we’ve noticed have been covered,” said Deitsch.  “MoDOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) has been working hard to clear them but the snow has just come down fairly heavy that they haven’t been able to keep up.”

Southeast Missouri, including Cape Girardeau and the Bootheel region, have received one to two inches of snow from the storm while Jefferson City in mid-Missouri has also received two inches or more. Deitsch says the early winter storm will hover over the region into the midday.  “ Looks like the precipitation should start to get out of here late this morning to early this afternoon, in the metro probably ending sometime between about noon and 3 p.m.”

KSDK reported more than 600 school closings in the St. Louis area today.  The storm is the second biggest early season snow event on record for east-central Missouri behind a 1951 early November storm.

About 10.3 inches of snow accumulated over a two-day period during a storm on November 5 and 6, 1951.  Until now the second highest total – 3.9 inches – occurred November 6 and 7, 1991.  Cape Girardeau saw 2.7 inches of snow in a storm on October 29 and 30, 1993.

————————–

UPDATED at 4:10 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for portions of east-central and southeast Missouri tonight.

Snowfall expected overnight Wednesday, November 14th into Thursday morning, November 15th (Image courtesy of the National Weather Service)

About 5 to 7 inches is expected in the counties straddling to Mississippi River from St. Louis south to Cape Girardeau.  In addition to St. Louis City, St. Louis County is included in the warning as well as St. Charles, Jefferson, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in place for adjacent areas in east-central and southeast Missouri where 2 to 4 inches of snow is expected, including in the Bootheel region.

Both the warning and the advisory are in place from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Thursday.

Outlying portions of the “watch” area, such as Bowling Green, are now projected to receive two inches of snow instead of no precipitation as previously predicted.

Accumulation of snowfall will continue in the St. Louis area for an additional two to three hours, which make for more dangerous conditions during morning drive time.

—————————–

A Winter Storm Watch will be in effect as an early winter storm could bring up to six inches of snow to portions of east central and southeast Missouri Wednesday night into Thursday morning.  Potentially heavy snowfall over a 12 to 18-hour period could impact an area along I-55 from St. Louis extending south to Farmington and Cape Girardeau.  The weather event will likely affect travel, especially during the Thursday morning drive commute and there’s a potential for localized power outages, according to the National Weather Service in St. Louis.

The storm has the potential to dump the second highest total of snow in the St. Louis area before November 15th dating back to 1892.  About 10.3 inches of snow accumulated over a two-day period during a storm on November 5 and 6, 1951.  Until now the second highest total – 3.9 inches – occurred November 6 and 7, 1991.  Cape Girardeau saw 2.7 inches of snow in a storm on October 29 and 30, 1993.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Jared Maples says the current storm is particularly unusual because it’s traveling into Missouri from the south in Texas.  “Where the low is now is kind of meandering over the Texas area,” said Maples.  “As it gets moving, that’s generally where it’s been, and it’s going to somewhat just barely scoot it to the northeast, and not in the most typical pattern.”

There’s no sign of snow in the next two-day forecast from any storm that would travel over the more usual path from Colorado through Kansas into Missouri.  The National Weather Service forecast for Kansas City doesn’t show a chance of snow until Saturday night.  The outlook is similar in northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph and Kirksville in the northern part of the state, where snow is possible on Saturday.

Wednesday night’s snowstorm has a slight chance of reaching into mid-Missouri’s Columbia and Jefferson City.

There’s currently high confidence that the coming storm will occur Wednesday night and that there’ll be snow accumulations up to six inches.  But forecasters say its possible the storm’s track could move 20 miles west of its current trajectory, meaning more of east central Missouri could see snow.  The northeast Missouri cities of Bowling Green, Canton and Quincy are outside the storms projected travel path.

Meteorologist Maples says the storm will have a significant impact in the areas where it’s most concentrated.  “Where this does come together, you’re going to have enough moisture and the system is in just the right spot where you’ll get dumped on for a good 12 to 18 hours or so,” Maples said.  He said there’s a potential danger for those who might be caught off guard by a snowstorm that almost never occurs this early in the winter cycle.  “This is nothing to joke about here,” said Maples.  “It’s to be taken seriously in that if you need to make other plans and you can make other plans, especially those in that 4 to 6-inch area, try to work around the forecast.”

The storm predicted for mid and northern Missouri Saturday and Saturday night would be following a more familiar west-to-east travel path.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 11-14-2018

By

Top Stories:  The Missouri Highway Patrol is asking for help to find a 23-year-old St. Louis-area woman whose empty vehicle was found on a boat ramp in rural Monroe County. Raffaella Maria Stroik is a dancer with the St. Louis Ballet.  And five people have been arrested in a burglary that took place last week in southwest Missouri’s Douglas County  The three men and two women accused of taking multiple electronic devices, outside equipment and a 4-wheeler range in age from 17-to-34.

Governor Parson appoints state Treasurer Eric Schmitt as Attorney General

By

Missouri Governor Mike Parson has named State Treasurer Eric Schmitt to replace outgoing Attorney General Josh Hawley, who’s becoming a U.S. Senator.

Missouri Treasurer Eric Schmitt with Governor Mike Parson, who announced Schmitt as Attorney General to replace U.S. Senator-elect Josh Hawley

All three men are Republicans who assumed statewide office at the same time after the November 2016 election.  Hawley will next be serving on the federal level after defeating two-term Democratic incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill in this month’s general election.

Governor Parson said Tuesday while announcing Schmitt’s appointment that Hawley has already submitted his resignation dated January 3rd, the date he’ll assume his Senate seat.

Schmitt’s move to Attorney General means there will now be three statewide officeholders serving in positions in which they were not elected.

Governor Parson himself moved up from the Lieutenant Governor’s position with the resignation of former Republican head of state Eric Greitens.  Parson then appointed Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe to the Lieutenant Governor’s seat.

The Governor said he’s been careful to select candidates who have the credentials to serve the state.  “You’re in a position as governor, it is a unique situation where you appoint people,” said Parson.  “So, we’re very cautious about how we go about that process and make sure that we get what we believe is the best-qualified people that represent all Missourians.”

The state Democratic Party has brought a lawsuit challenging Parson’s authority to appoint a Lieutenant Governor.  That case is now being considered by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Schmitt’s move to Attorney General opens a vacancy for the Treasurer’s seat.  Parson indicated he was in the process of choosing a replacement but didn’t say when a decision would be made other than to say that he’s working to find the best candidate for the job.

In the leadup to this month’s election, outgoing Attorney General Hawley’s performance in office came under scrutiny and criticism.

The New York Times reported that his tenure in office had been chaotic and expensive for taxpayers, noting that Hawley focused on high profile political cases such as a lawsuit he joined to overturn the Affordable Care Act while his office was shorthanded of qualified attorneys.  Legal settlements paid by the state, which totaled $22 million during two years of the previous administration rose to $35 million in 2018 under Hawley’s watch.

Hawley also made moves inside the Attorney General’s office that could be interpreted as reflecting a conservative ideology and agenda.  He eliminated the office’s agriculture and environment division and formed a federalism unit to battle against regulations from Washington.  Tuesday, Schmitt said it was premature to say what the future would be with changes Hawley made to functions within the agency.

Governor Parson also said it would be too early to comment on the high-profile lawsuits Hawley entered into with other states, including the one to overturn the Affordable Care Act.  “I don’t want to have any problems with saying anything that I shouldn’t say,” said Parson.  “That’ll be a time for Attorney General Hawley with the soon to be Attorney General Schmitt to try to discuss all the pending law cases.”

If the case against the Affordable Care Act is successful, insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions would be done away with.  Preexisting conditions turned into a hot-button issue in the Senate contest between Hawley and McCaskill.

Hawley also initiated a lawsuit joined by 11 other states challenging California’s law for the sale of eggs, claiming it violates federal statute and the U.S. Constitution.  California voters approved a ballot initiative requiring egg-laying hens in that state to have enough space to extend their limbs and lay down. California legislators then expanded the law to ban the sale of eggs from hens that were not raised in accordance with that standard.

It remains to be seen how aggressive Schmitt will pursue the high-profile lawsuits undertaken by Hawley.  Among Schmitt’s biggest accomplishments as a Missouri lawmaker was an income tax break passed in 2014 and restrictions on cities determined to be abusing traffic and court fines to bankroll local government.

During his address at the Governor’s announcement of his new appointment, Schmitt stated that it was his son Stephen, who is non-verbal, epileptic and on the autism spectrum, that inspired him to seek public office “to have a greater impact”.  He addressed questions from reporters on whether he would reside in Jefferson City, based on his son’s conditions.  “Our family situation is a little bit different, given Stephen’s challenges and the support network,” said Schmitt.  “We’ll address that as a family, but I intend to reside in Jefferson City.”

Missouri law dating back to 1835 requires the Attorney General to live in Jefferson City in order to conduct business at the capitol.  Hawley was unsuccessfully sued by a Democratic voter for keeping a residence about 20 miles outside Jefferson City.

Schmitt grew up in the St. Louis area.  He earned a scholarship to attend law school at Saint Louis University where he became the first person in his family to graduate from law school.  He currently lives with his family in the St. Louis suburb of Glendale.

GOP state lawmaker looks to represent all voters, renew fight for legislative priorities

By

A Missouri state representative is pledging to work for all his constituents, even those who opposed him.

State Rep. Chuck Basye speaks on the Missouri House floor in February 2018 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Republican Chuck Basye of Rocheport, who serves an area near Democratic-leaning Columbia in mid-Missouri, says it’s a privilege to represent his district.  “It’s an honor to serve in the Missouri General Assembly,” said Basye.  “I know that you can’t please everybody.  There are quite a few people that didn’t vote for me, but I am going to advocate for them the best that I can.”

Basye says he’ll listen to all his constituents.  “I represent everybody in the district, not just the people that are for me and voted for me.  I think that’s very, very important.”

The former air traffic controller was elected to a third term with 57% of his district’s vote.  Republicans in large swaths of rural Missouri often receive 60%-to-80% of the ballots cast.  Meanwhile, Democrat Martha Stevens garnered 65% of the ballots cast in Basye’s neighboring 46th District which encompasses much of Columbia.  Democrat Kip Kendrick of Columbia ran unopposed in the 45th District taking 100% of the vote.

Like much of the country, Missouri has a sharp voting divide between conservative, Republican rural areas and more progressive, Democrat-leaning urban districts.  Republicans hold supermajorities in both the Missouri House and Senate, but Democrats in the House who ran unopposed in the November election outnumbered uncontested Republicans 20-16.

Basye has several pieces of legislation he’s revisiting for the 2019 legislative calendar.  He’ll try for a third straight year to provide insurance coverage for developmentally disabled individuals outside the autism spectrum that have none.  “I think we’ll get that further,” said Basye.  “I’m not going to say it’s going to pass, but I’m going to work very hard on that.  It’s something that’s become very near and dear to me.  I’ve met a lot of these children.  They’re very, very special.  I want to try and get them some help that they desperately need as far as therapies are concerned.”

Basye’s legislation has failed to advance beyond the committee level for the past two years after opposition from the healthcare industry which claims consumer costs would rise.

Missouri Insurance Coalition, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and Anthem testified against his measure in Committee this year while Gateway Association for Behavior Analysis, Missouri Association for Behavior Analysis and the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis spoke in favor of it.  Despite passing out of a committee on insurance policy and a panel on legislative oversight unanimously, Basye’s bill never reached the House floor.

The legislation as presented in last session would prohibit health carriers from limiting coverage or denying reimbursement for treatment of symptoms and behaviors for individuals with physical or developmental disabilities.  Proponents say children with developmental disabilities don’t have enough access to therapeutic services and stress that getting the right kinds of therapy to them early is important for their future success.

According to Boone County Family Resources, there are about 64,000 Missouri children under the age of 18 with a disability.  The organization says 28,068 of them have private health insurance coverage, while 37,405 receive Medicaid, which is public health coverage. Another 3,147 have no health insurance coverage.

Those in the autism spectrum already have insurance coverage from a 2010 state law.

Basye told KWIX radio that he’s focused on furthering two other measures from last year.  One would allow students in the Columbia School District to take city-owned buses to school while the other one would help veterans receive more benefits.

(Missourinet affiliate KWIX and Missouirnet’s Brian Hauswirth contributed to this report)

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 11-13-2018

By

Top Stories:  A Morgan County man in west central Missouri has pleaded guilty to abandonment of a corpse.  Darrell Willis admitted to helping a man who killed his common-law wife move her body in a 50-gallon drum in 2016.  Two types of dog food from Missouri companies have been recalled for high levels of vitamin D, which can lead to vitamin D toxicity.  Nutrisca and Natural Life Pet Products, both based in St. Louis, issued the voluntary recall Nov. 2, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Eastern Missouri town looks to post office dedicated to fallen hero on Veterans Day observance

By

An eastern Missouri city can look to a post office named after one of its fallen heroes on the observance of Veterans Day 2018.

Spec. Jeffrey White

In late August, the United States Postal Service held a dedication ceremony at its outlet in eastern Missouri’s Pacific to rename the facility the Specialist Jeffrey L White, Jr. Post Office Building.

White, who was 10 years old when the attacks on 9/11 took place, enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 2009 at the age of 19.  He was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2011.  Just days before a scheduled leave on April 3, 2012, White died of injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his mounted patrol in Khost Province, Afghanistan.

Central and eastern Missouri Republican Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer introduced legislation in November 2016 to dedicate the post office in honor of White, who graduated from Pacific High School in 2008.  After the House and Senate passed the bill to recognize White, President Trump signed it into law on March 16th of this year.

After completing basic and advanced training at Fort Benning, Georgia, White was stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska before being deployed to Afghanistan. During his time in the Army, he earned him a number of awards and decorations including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Luetkemeyer joined White’s family for the official dedication of the Pacific Post Office in his memory in August.  The Congressman said he was humbled to be among the many people present to pay tribute to a local hero.

“In the face of great sadness, the White family has taught us all a lesson in strength and grace,” said Luetkemeyer.  “We sometimes forget that the families of our soldiers also must live their lives knowing their entire world can be turned upside down in a moment and without notice.  Their bravery and service, just like Jeffrey’s, is something for which we are all eternally grateful.”

White grew up in eastern Missouri’s Catawissa with his parents, Jeff and Paula White and his brothers Michael and Kyle.  The Pacific post office named in his honor is located about 35 miles southwest of inner-city St. Louis.

The naming of post offices after persons has become a common practice in the last 10-15 years.

Congress first honored an individual by naming a post office through freestanding legislation in 1967. It named a combined post office and federal office building in Bronx, NY, as the “Charles A. Buckley Post Office and Federal Office Building” in honor of the late Representative Charles A. Buckley.

Northeast Missouri businesswoman among nine new state senators coming to Jefferson City

By

Cindy O’Laughlin is one of nine new State Senators who’ll join the next Missouri legislature in Jefferson City in January.  She’s one of five Republican newcomers to receive at least 70% of the vote in GOP dominated mostly rural districts.  O’Laughlin said campaigning became a fulltime job for her.  “You know, it’s an everyday thing, six days a week, sometimes seven days a week,” said O’Laughlin.

Republican State Senator-elect Cindy O’Laughlin of Shelbina (Image courtesy of O’Laughlin for Senate Facebook page)

The Shelbina businesswoman said she learned a lot about her future constituents while campaigning.  “There are some really incredible people in our northeast part of the state.  I’ve met so many of them and I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to gain an understanding of things that are going on in their lives and some of the challenges they have.”

O’Laughlin beat three Republican State Representatives — Lindell Shumake of Hannibal, Craig Redmon of Canton and Nate Walker of Kirksville — in a primary in which she largely self-financed.

Married with four children, O’Laughlin described herself to the Hannibal Courrier-Post as a Christian conservative.  She told the paper a priority of hers is to reform entitlement legislation, saying she favors a graduated entitlement program that encourages individuals to go to work and helps them step out of the system of government aid. Doing so ultimately strengthens families, she said.

O’Laughlin owns a northern Missouri concrete business. The Quincy Herald-Whig reported that she’s also been a treasurer for the Missouri Club for Growth.

She says the time she spent on the campaign trail offered an insight into the people she’ll be representing.  “What I kind of sacrificed on a personal level I think I gained professionally by knowing these people and witnessing the things that they’re doing,” O’Laughlin told Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly.  “It gives me an enthusiasm for what the future could hold for us.”

O’Laughlin is replacing term-limited Republican Brian Munzlinger of Williamstown in the expansive 14 county northeast Missouri Senate District 18.

Four other Republicans won their state Senate races by more than 70%.  They include State Representative Mike Bernskoetter of Jefferson City in District 6, Justin Dan Brown in District 16 who will be assuming the seat his father is vacating because of term limits, former State Representative Eric W. Burlison of Battlefield in District 20 and State Representative Bill White of Joplin in District 32.

Two Republicans won Senate races by tighter margins in districts containing larger cities.  Tony Luetkemeyer beat Democrat Martin T. Rucker II by a 52%-to-48% margin in western Missouri’s Senate District 30 which contains St. Joseph.  Greene County Commissioner Lincoln Hough edged Democrat Charlie Norr in Senate District 30 which is home to Springfield in southwest Missouri.

Seven Republicans were reelected in the GOP dominated Senate.  They include Bob Onder of Lake St. Louis in District 2, Mike Cierpiot of Kansas City in District 8, Jeanie Riddle of Mokane in District 10, Dan Hegeman of Cosby in District 12, Paul Wieland of Imperial in District 22, Dave Schatz of Sullivan in District 26 and Sandy Crawford of Buffalo in District 28.

Riddle, Hegeman, and Crawford were victorious with more than 70% of the ballots cast.  Crawford, who accumulated close to 80% of the vote, was reelected after winning a special election in 2017.  The seat became vacant following now Republican Governor Mike Parson of Bolivar’s victory to become the Lieutenant Governor following the 2016 election.

Two Democrats dominated contests in the St. Louis Area.  Missouri House member Karla May garnered 77% of the vote in Senate District 4.  Her Republican opponent, Robert J. Crump, gathered 23% of the ballots cast.  May had beaten incumbent Democrat and union activist Jake Hummel of St. Louis in the primary election.  Democrat Brian Williams ran unopposed in District 14, a seat being vacated by term-limited Maria Chappelle-Nadal.

Republican Senator Schatz was selected by his peers to the second highest position in the Missouri Senate in a reshuffling of leadership positions in the caucus.  Thursday, Schatz was elected as the new Senate pro tem for the next two years.  He was one of four state senators up for the pro tem position, including Mike Cunningham of Rogersville, Ed Emery of Lamar, and Onder.  Schatz moves into the seat after Ron Richard of Joplin, who held the position, was term-limited out.

Meanwhile, Senator Caleb Rowden of Columbia was elected as majority floor leader.  He replaces Mike Kehoe of Jefferson City who was appointed Lieutenant Governor by Governor Parson.  State Democrats have challenged Parson’s authority to make the appointment in a lawsuit that the state Supreme Court is now considering.  Senator Wayne Wallingford of Cape Girardeau was elected as assistant majority floor leader, replacing Onder lost his bid for the Pro-Tem position.  Senator Crawford was chosen as majority caucus whip. Senator Hegeman won re-elected as majority caucus chairman while Senator Riddle was chosen as majority caucus secretary.

Missouri Senate Democrats reelected State Senator Gina Walsh of Bellefontaine Neighbors as Minority leader.  The caucus selected Senator Shalonn “Kiki” Curls of Kansas City as Assistant Missouri Senate Democratic Leader, newly elected Senator Karla May of St. Louis as Caucus Chair and Senator Jamilah Nasheed of St. Louis as Caucus Whip.

(Missourinet affiliate KWIX and Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth contributed to this report)

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 11-12-2018

By

Top Stories:  Much of mid and southern Missouri is under a Winter Weather Advisory today with snow accumulations between a-half-inch and three-inches.  Cities included are Kansas City, Columbia-Jefferson City, Springfield, Rolla and St. Louis.  And a former standout athlete and assistant coach in southwest Missouri’s Willard died Saturday in a hunting accident.  24-year-old Justin Atchison was an assistant coach for the high school’s baseball and football teams.

 

Missouri Democratic congressman worried his party will get bogged down with impeachment

By

Missouri’s Kansas City-based Congressman Emanuel Cleaver is cautioning his fellow Democrats not to rush in and try to impeach President Trump.

Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver speaks to Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth at the State Fair in Sedalia on August 16, 2018 (Ashley Byrd photo)

The congressman tweeted a video appearance on FOX News with commentator Neil Cavuto Friday in which he acknowledged some U.S. House members wanted to move quickly against the President.  “For me to suggest that there are not those who would like to impeach the President would be untruthful,” said Cleaver.

Democrats took back the House in Tuesday’s election.  The party currently has a 225-200 seat edge over Republicans, and that number could climb higher as 10 races are still not determined as of late Friday morning.  Republicans still control the Senate.

Exit polling by CNN on election day showed 77% of self-identified Democrats supported impeachment, compared with just 5% of Republicans and 33% of independents.

After President Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions Wednesday, Democrats are worried he’ll try to shut down special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.  Trump replaced Sessions with Matthew G. Whitaker, an alley who is seen as likely to disrupt the Mueller investigation after making comments highly critical of the probe.

House Democrats have made clear they plan to hold hearings, call witnesses and investigate the President’s actions with the authority they’ll gain when the new Congress convenes in January.

Cleaver told Cavuto he’s troubled some of his fellow Democrats are insistent on preserving Mueller’s investigation while also calling for impeachment.  “Either you want Mueller to finish the report and then you evaluate it, or you just want to impeach the President without the report,” Cleaver said.  “I mean, this is a tough time, but we’ve got to be extremely careful.”

Trump said Wednesday that Republicans in the Senate would retaliate with investigations of their own and refuse to work with Democrats if they pursued what he considered unfounded investigations into his administration.  Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi had made an effort to strike a conciliatory tone before the President’s move to fire Sessions, promising to work with Republicans while standing their ground when necessary.

Cleaver told Cavuto he thinks President Trump might be trying to goad Democrats into a fight over the Mueller investigation and impeachment.  “The President, frankly hasn’t helped calm the waters, but I don’t add to it, I don’t want add to the turbulence,” said Cleaver.

The now eight-term Missouri Congressman from the state’s 5th District was emphatic about Democrats avoiding distractions in his tweet.  “Our goal in Congress should be to pass policies that benefit the American people, period.”

Cleaver won his election with roughly 62% of the vote in a district that stretches from Kansas City eastward into Missouri farm country, including Lafayette and Saline counties, where voters tend to be more conservative and Republican.

Among the Congressional Democrats who have been the most vocal about impeaching President Trump is Representative Al Green of Texas, who won re-election Tuesday with 89% of the vote.

Missourinet 7 a.m. News 11-09-2018

By

Top Stories:  Jury selection is underway in the Springfield murder trial of Nicholas Godejohn.  He’s accused of murdering the mother of Gypsy Blanchard in 2015 after Gypsy, who suffers from a condition caused by a form of child abuse allegedly asked him to kill her mother.  And an outgoing state legislator thinks the election of Republican Josh Hawley to the U.S.  Senate could have boosted the no vote that defeated a gas tax.  GOP state Representative Kevin Corlew of Kansas City, who lost his election Tuesday told KMBC-TV that conservative anti-tax voters may have been motivated to cast ballots because of Hawley’s presence in the election.