This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 3, 2011 - Despite a recent stumble over layoffs, Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Brunner is back on television emphasizing his business credentials as he seeks to challenge Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill.
A new TV ad began airing around the state that shows Brunner, of suburban St. Louis, in a local office of Vi-Jon, the personal-care products firm that his family founded (and that Brunner sold in 2006 to a Boston-based private equity firm, which is blamed for those recent layoffs.)
Brunner, of suburban St. Louis, is the first and only U.S. Senate candidate in Missouri to be airing TV spots -- not surprising since the GOP primary is nine months away -- and the general election is a year off. He faces two primary opponents: U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman.
Usually candidates wait until much closer to an election to run TV ads, to conserve their money and to air the spots when voters are paying closer attention.
But Brunner campaign chief John Hancock says his candidate has a good reason to run ads early.
"John Brunner is not known in Missouri much, and we believe this is an effective way to introduce his unusual candidacy to voters," Hancock said. The ads "show exactly who John Brunner is,'' Hancock continued. "They show John Brunner as a business leader and a manufacturer who has made a payroll. Claire McCaskill is none of those things."
The new ad targets McCaskill but doesn't mention Steelman or Akin.
There's also the unspoken fact that Brunner plans to use millions of his own dollars to pay for his campaign -- so hoarding money isn't such a big deal.
The consultant added that Brunner isn't just running ads. He also has been traveling the state, including "a very successful swing in southeast Missouri this week," Hancock said.