Missouri

Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning "canoe", is a U.S. state in the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. It is a Midwestern state, with some Northern, Eastern, and Southern cultural influences. The state's nickname is the Show-Me State; the U.S. Post Office abbreviation for Missouri is MO and the state public university's main campus is located in Columbia. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers are the two large rivers which flow through this state.

Law and government

Main Article: Law and Government of Missouri

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See: List of Missouri Governors

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The capital of Missouri is Jefferson City.

Related Topics:
Capital - Jefferson City

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The current constitution of Missouri, the fourth constitution for the state, was adopted in 1945 and provides for three branches of government, the legislative, judicial and executive branches. The legislative branch consists of two bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. These bodies comprise the General Assembly of the State of Missouri.

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The House of Representatives has 163 members that are apportioned based on the last decennial census. The Senate consists of 34 members from districts divided such that the population of each district is approximately equal.

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The Judicial department consists of a supreme court consisting of 7 judges. Superior and inferior courts are also provided.

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The executive branch is headed by the Governor.

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• The Governor of Missouri is Matt Blunt (Republican).
• The Lieutenant Governor of Missouri is Peter Kinder (Republican)
• The Missouri Attorney General is Jay Nixon (Democrat)
• The Missouri Secretary of State is Robin Carnahan (Democrat)
• The Missouri State Auditor is Claire McCaskill (Democrat)
• The Missouri State Treasurer is Sarah Steelman (Republican)
• The Senior United States Senator is Christopher S. "Kit" Bond (Republican)
• The Junior United States Senator is James M. Talent (Republican)

Although neither major party has traditionally been dominant in Missouri, the Republican Party has been gaining strength there in recent years. Missouri has a longer stretch of supporting the winning presidential candidate than any other state, having chosen with the nation in every election since 1960. In 2004, George W. Bush won the state's 11 electoral votes by a margin of 7 percentage points with 53.3% of the vote. Democrat John Kerry only won four of the state's 115 counties—St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ste. Genevieve, and Jackson County.

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