FENTON, Mo.—On the same day a new Missouri poll showed voters here widely favor former President Donald Trump over a field of contenders for the GOP nomination in 2024, Wednesday’s first primary debate appeared to change the minds of few, if any Republicans in St. Louis County who gathered to watch the proceedings at the party’s headquarters.

A few dozen people came to the event, that also had a separate screen set up to watch Trump, who decided not to take part in the debate, in a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson that functioned as “counter-programming”. Only a handful of people watched the interview.

When asked as a group who they thought would win the debate, most said Trump.

Creve Coeur Township GOP President Lee Greenberg wanted to see Trump in the Milwaukee debate. ”It’s a presidential debate and he’s running for president,” he said, but skipping it, and potentially others as Trump has threatened, wasn’t a deal-breaker.

“I’m not concerned at all. I think he’s the best candidate, so I think he’ll run away with it,” Greenberg said.

Mick Rudi, of Oakville, nodded several times approvingly, as former South Carolina Gov. and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott spoke, but remains a Trump supporter.

Greenberg had heard Vivek Ramaswamy on cable business news before the entrepreneur ran for president. He liked him before and liked him Wednesday, but described Ramaswamy’s proposal to raise the voting age to 25, “scary”.

Rudi described Ramaswamy as “incredible”, and as someone who should have a place in the government, but just not president yet.

Several lines from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis got some reaction from the crowd, particularly referring to prosecutors funded by liberal philanthropist George Soros and decrying COVID-shutdowns. An earlier remark from former Vice President Mike Pence who mentioned liberal prosecutors and the “Defund the Police” movement elicited no audible reaction.

“I expected DeSantis to lead, and that’s about all I can tell you,” said Clem Fletcher, of Overland when describing his expectations heading into the night. And after? He said DeSantis was on top. But just on top of the field present at the debate.

“They’re not going to win, over Trump. I don’t think they moved the needle to win, over Trump,” he said.

No special session on senior property taxes

A spokesperson for Missouri Gov. Mike Parson confirmed to Spectrum News that Parson will not call lawmakers back into a special session to address questions over a new state law that allows counties to freeze property taxes for qualifying seniors.

St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann had asked for the special session, as county lawmakers in the St. Louis region look to implement Senate Bill 190, which goes into effect Monday.

Supporters say the state law will help seniors on a fixed income stay in their homes. But even those who back that broad goal say the legislation is vague in several areas, including who is eligible and is unclear about the ability for one taxing entity–a county–to freeze the tax rates of another taxing entity, like school districts or fire protection districts.

Parson told reporters at the State Fair last week that lawmakers were looking at fixes, but his press secretary told Spectrum News Wednesday any changes would have to wait until January.

Ehlmann was due to meet with state lawmakers from the region Thursday afternoon to understand more about the legislative intent behind the bill, as St. Charles County looks to enact it locally. Absent a state legislative solution, Ehlmann has said he expects the answers to come from a judge at some point.

The St. Louis County Council voted it down last month but has moved to reconsider it considering news the county is being asked for incentives to land a major Boeing expansion.

Language for local legislation in St. Charles County could be considered Monday although a meeting agenda has been posted