By Collin Reischman
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.— Josh Foster has been involved in politics for a while. Before he even stepped into a classroom, Foster was working for one of John Ashcroft’s campaigns at 4 years old. In fact, working in the rain for the Ashcroft campaign is Foster’s first memory of politics.
When you get started in the business that early, it is easy to build connections. Foster worked on some local and statewide campaigns while his grandmother, a former state representative, helped run a number of campaigns for former state Sen. Jim Lembke.
“I got started pretty early in the business,” Foster said. “And I stuck around, I’ve been lucky that I’ve gotten to work as much as I have.”
Foster, who has worked in licensing offices during non-election years, is working closely on the recent Missouri Department of Revenue document scanning controversy.
“There are some statutes out there saying what DOR is doing might not be legal,” Foster said. “So I’m just trying to figure out what’s happening over there and whether there’s anything happening that’s not right.”
While he has an interest in the DOR, Foster said he likes handling legislation in general and does not consider himself to have a particular area of interest or expertise. As a young staffer who is already making connections, Foster’s future is potential bright, albeit uncertain.
“I’ve never really wanted to be a lawyer, so I don’t know about law school,” Foster said. “I’ve definitely thought about running for office, but right now I’m just not prepared to look that far ahead. I’m confident Sen. Emery will have seven years in the Senate and for the time being I’m content to be here for seven years.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.