Sarcasm. In case you needed the confirmation.

Brandon Phelps (r) [2025 file photo].

From the third quarter 2026 campaign finance report for Brandon Phelps (r), the incumbent in the 54th Legislative District, filed on October 11, 2026:

MISSOURI ETHICS COMMISSION
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED – SUPPLEMENTAL
Committee to Elect Phelps 10/11/2026
[….]

MAFP Political Action Committee
722 West High Street
Jefferson City MO 65101
9/14/2026
$500.00

Bayer PAC
800 N. Lindbergh BLVD
St Louis MO 63167
9/14/2026
$1,000.00

[….]

Missouri Cattlemen’s Association PAC
2306 Bluff Creek Dr.
Columbia MO 65201
9/28/2026
$500.00

ASA Midwest PAC
4851 Chapel Hill Rd.
St Louis MO 63128
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

FCA PAC
PO Box 105
Chesterfield MO 63006
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

The Madison PAC
PO Box 344
Clinton MO 64735
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

Missouri Corn Growers Association State PAC
3118 Emerald Lane
Jefferson City MO 65109
9/28/2026
$500.00

CN-MO PAC
235 East High Street
Jefferson City MO 65101
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

AMECPAC
2722 East McCarty Street
Jefferson City MO 65101
9/28/2026
$2,000.00

KBS PAC
PO Box 10066
Columbia MO 65205
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

Missouri Medical Political Action Committee
PO Box 1402
Jefferson City MO 65102
9/28/2026
$500.00

GM PAC
221 Bolivar Street
Jefferson City MO 65102
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

NET PAC Missouri
PO Box 638
Columbia MO 65205
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

RQC PAC
412 County Road 398
New Bloomfield MO 65063
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association PAC
PO Box 104855
Jefferson City MO 65109
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

Charter Communication, Inc. MO PAC
12405 Powerscourt Drive
Saint Louis MO 63131
9/28/2026
$2,000.00

Hahn Deboef PAC
131 West High Street
Jefferson City MO 65101
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

Missouri Restaurant Association Inc. PAC
600 E. 103rd Street
Kansas City MO 64131
9/28/2026
$500.00

Shelter Insurance Missouri PAC
1817 West Broadway
Columbia MO 65218
9/28/2026
$1,500.00

Cheyenne International, LLC
701 S. Battleground Ave.
Grover NC 28073
9/28/2026
$1,000.00

[emphasis added]

What about looking after constituents when it comes their concerns about gas and diesel costs, food costs, access to affordable health care, and affordable housing? Just asking.

“…But I do listen, I do research, and I do understand that we will not agree one hundred percent of the time on one hundred percent of the issues. It’s not possible…”

Listen to who?

Brandon Phelps (r): …Just on a, just on a side note, just something, uh, that was mentioned, and actually, I’ve said this before, maybe it gets mentioned quite often. Um, and, and I can’t speak for the senator, but I imagine that I am. We as legislators listen to you significantly more than you can possibly imagine. The problem is, and I told this to a group a while back, that just because maybe we have voted in a manner that you don’t agree with doesn’t mean that we didn’t understand the legislation. It doesn’t mean that we didn’t listen to constituents. It doesn’t mean that, uh, perhaps, if we haven’t met with you, it doesn’t mean that we’ve met with nobody. Um, and, uh, I discussed this with a group a while back that they just, I think they loved probably ninety-five percent of the things that I voted on and the way that I voted, but there were a few things they just simply didn’t like. And they asked me on those things they didn’t like, they said, well, why didn’t you listen to the people? Why didn’t you read the legislation? How come you didn’t, how come you didn’t understand and educate yourself on the legislation? And I said, so, wait a minute, let me get this clear. So on all the things that I voted in the manner that you like, you assumed I did educate myself. You assumed I did speak to the people. You assumed I did listen to the constituency. But on the three that you didn’t like, you assumed I didn’t read those bills. You assumed that I didn’t listen to constituency, and so I want you all to understand that believe it or not, while we are together right here, and for many of you this is the first opportunity, but for many of you it is not. These events, for me at least, I don’t know about for the senator, um, and so everybody knows, and I, I’m a first year legislator. I will tell you that I was actually just stunned that when session ended how many of these events started getting put on my calendar. I will tell you it’s almost daily. Uh, and when the superintendent told you that we spoke, um, a week and a half ago, we did, for two hours. We, we’ve had an opportunity to speak multiple times. During session he came to my office and we had a long conversations. But, that is that way with everybody. I just would ask people, number one, I want you to understand me. I’m gonna listen to you. I’m gonna hear you. I am going to research. But I would also ask that you don’t make the assumption that if I have not agreed with you on a hundred percent of the issues a hundred percent of the time that I just don’t listen. Because that’s not fair. Because we have thousands, tens of thousands of phone calls and emails. And I actually would tell people that’s one of the things I actually, I, I, I think, I think I told the mayor this, um, I know I told [….] this. That’s one of the things I love most about the job. I’m getting a free education when people come in and share their thoughts and concerns with me. They don’t always agree with me and I don’t always agree with them. But I do listen, I do research, and I do understand that we will not agree one hundred percent of the time on one hundred percent of the issues. It’s not possible. Uh, many of these events I go to, the people in the room, some of them in the room contacted my office or contacted me personally with one opinion, while other people in the room contacted me with another. I actually think that’s what makes us great. I actually believe that you are not supposed to agree with me on everything. And I am not supposed to agree with you on everything. I actually believe that that is what we want to see. Because your competing ideas with my competing ideas make us all better people. I can learn from you. And you can learn from me. But I would only say that that is possible when we have enough open mind to assume that the legislator making the vote didn’t just do it willy-nilly. Perhaps the legislator was listening and did have the info. And at the end of the day we’ve got to vote yes or we’ve got to vote no or we could take the coward’s way out and we could just go for a walk down the Capitol and not be there. I’m always there, I’ve always voted. My door in my office, uh, there are some that are open all day, there are some that are closed during the day. Mine’s never been closed. Uh, and I will tell you, these events, like I say, I, I bet I’ve been to a hundred now since the session ended in May. So we’re listening and I want you to know we’re listening and if you call me I will listen. And if you want to meet, I will meet and we will talk. Because I value it, I really do. I, I just really think that we need to share ideas and I am willing to accept the fact that you’re idea may be better than mine. My idea may be better than yours. But when I vote please don’t make the assumption that I only voted based on my ideas and I did it without any other input….

Rick Brattin (r) and Brandon Phelps (r) – Chamber of Commerce “Coffee & Concerns” – Warrensburg, Missouri – October 9, 2025 (October 9, 2025)

“…Because your competing ideas with my competing ideas make us all better people. I can learn from you. And you can learn from me…”

Previously:

Hey, Brandon Phelps (r), are you going to vote for this gerrymandered bullshit? (August 30, 2025)

Hey Brandon Phelps (r), we hear you’re afraid of church ladies (September 18, 2025)

HB 2075: Who checks? (March 6, 2026)

What a friend we have in Donald (r), and Betsy, and… (June 10, 2026)

Joined at the hip (June 11, 2026)

A lack of imagination… (August 26, 2026)