Dueling at high noon? Missouri Senate Republicans, gripped by conflict, look for way out

As the Missouri Senate remains mired in conflict, some senators are considering an old way to settle their disputes – the duel.

A proposed amendment to Senate rules, circulating within the Capitol, would authorize senators to engage in a duel if a senator’s honor “is impugned by another senator to the point that it is beyond repair and in order for the offended senator to gain satisfaction” – and would require duels to take place at “high noon.”

It would allow the dueling senators to set the terms of the confrontation, including what weapon to use.

The proposal appears mostly intended to make a point about the breakdown of collegiality in the Senate rather than a serious attempt to bring back a centuries-old practice. But the idea underscores the depth of frustration in the chamber three weeks into a session so far characterized by public fighting between Republican leaders and an aggressive right-wing faction called the Missouri Freedom Caucus.

“The behavior that we’ve seen on the floor, lack of communication from leadership, politics as a whole just eroding … I mean, if we’re going back in time, and acting like an uncivilized society, I think we need to have discussion on that then,” said Sen. Nick Schroer, a St. Charles County Republican and Freedom Caucus member who drafted the proposal.

Senators took a step toward action on Thursday, when the Freedom Caucus relinquished the floor, allowing Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, to refer legislation to overhaul the initiative petition process and other bills to committees. But whatever detente Rowden hoped to achieve quickly collapsed.

Abortion rights supporters are currently circulating an initiative petition to place an amendment to the state constitution overturning Missouri’s abortion ban on the ballot this fall. Republicans, fearful voters would approve an amendment, want to raise the vote threshold necessary to change the constitution. Currently, only a simple statewide majority is needed.

In the Senate, referring bills to committees is typically a procedural formality, but has been a point of contention between Rowden and the Freedom Caucus, who have demanded that the Senate immediately debate measures to make it harder to pass initiative petitions.

Ahead of the session, Rowden posted on social media that he would refer the legislation if the Freedom Caucus allowed the Senate to confirm dozens of appointments made by Republican Gov. Mike Parson. The Freedom Caucus has threatened to block the appointments as leverage to force GOP leaders to bring up initiative petition legislation.

Rowden, who is running for Missouri secretary of state, referred the bills on Thursday, but the Senate never made it to appointments before adjourning for the weekend.

After Rowden finished referring bills and as the Senate moved closer to advancing the appointments, Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican and Freedom Caucus member, launched into a scathing attack on Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican.

Eigel, who is running for governor, accused O’Laughlin of calling for his expulsion in a meeting with newspaper editors on Thursday morning. At times shouting, Eigel vowed that he wouldn’t be intimidated or silenced.

“I’m not the first senator willing to stand up for my principles. And I’ll stand here until Christmas if I have to,” Eigel said. “And if anybody wants to expel me from this chamber for being bold about my leadership, being bold about my beliefs, I welcome that.”

During an extraordinary back and forth on the Senate floor, O’Laughlin sidestepped Eigel’s efforts to force her to give a yes or no answer about whether she supports expulsion.

“I believe that the Senate should be allowed to function by all of the rest of the people who were elected by their constituents,” O’Laughlin told Eigel as they stood next to each other.

As Eigel yelled, Rowden, who was presiding, at one point looked down at his watch to check the time. At another point, Rowden encouraged Eigel to keep his hands down and “make sure you are not pointing or making unnecessary gestures toward the female senator you are speaking to.”

“She’s a tough one, so I don’t think she’s intimidated at all by me, but I appreciate you making that statement,” Eigel responded.

Republicans, who control both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly, have been split into two factions for years. But the hard-right caucus and more moderate senators have grown more divided this session after senators announced the formation of the new Freedom Caucus with backing from the national States Freedom Caucus.

The infighting appeared to reach a new crescendo this week after Rowden stripped members of the Freedom Caucus of their committee leadership posts and parking spots in response to the appointments the group was holding hostage. Rowden earlier this week said this year’s session had been “nothing short of an embarrassment.” He attacked the hard-right caucus as a “small group of swamp creatures.”

The infighting could threaten aspects of Parson’s agenda. On Wednesday, Parson in his State of the State address called for stricter criminal penalties for individuals who expose children to fentanyl and for new child care tax credits.

Rowden on Thursday held open the possibility of using a procedural maneuver to break filibusters by the Freedom Caucus. That rarely taken step – sometimes called the “nuclear option” – would likely further fracture the chamber, where lengthy debate is often prized.

“Those would be last resorts, but … everything has to be on the table,” Rowden told reporters.

When asked if Senate Democrats would support any rule changes to keep the session on track, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, said his caucus has an open door to anybody.

“Does it benefit us at a certain point that all of this is happening? Yes,” he said. “Is it good for Missouri? Absolutely not. Is it good for the Senate? Absolutely not. And it’s even worse for the people that just got here that will never know what a real Senate looks like.”