She was listed in a 2008 article in the New York Times as among seventeen women who may someday run for President of the United States.

In his previous re-election campaign in 1994, Lybyer defeated State Representative Merrill Townley with 55% of the vote, despite the national Republican wave that year.

"[citation needed] Steelman was the first major convert[13] to "Divest Terror", a Terror-free investing strategy of the Center for Security Policy that enjoys some national following.

As Steelman implements it, the program invests in funds that divest assets in North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Sudan.

[14] In her capacity as an ex officio board member of a pension system for Missouri government workers, she requested similar divestments from countries on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.

[17] Steelman taught a class titled "Leadership and Changing Public Policy" during the Fall 2009 semester at Missouri State University.

Steelman faced U.S. 2nd district Congressman Todd Akin and St. Louis businessman John Brunner in the August 2012 primary.

[19] On July 17, 2012, Steelman's candidacy was endorsed by the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.