The NRA recently launched an ad portraying Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Jason Kander as weak on gun rights, which is usually an effective argument in conservative states like this. But Kander’s must-see response commercial is one for the books.
Kander is shown blindfolded as he notes that Republican Sen. Roy Blunt has been attacking him on guns. As Kander assembles a rifle while still blindfolded, he describes how, while serving in Afghanistan, he “volunteered to be an extra gun in a convoy of unarmored SUVs.” And after saying that he voted to protect gun rights in the legislature, Kander also notes that he “believes in background checks, so that terrorists can’t get their hands on one of these.” After Kander finishes putting his rifle together, he concludes “I approve this message because I’d like to see Sen. Blunt do this.”
This type of ad isn’t going to deter Republicans from portraying Kander as an out-of-touch liberal, but it’s a very effective spot nonetheless. The commercial pushes back on the attacks in a persuasive and interesting way while also informing viewers about Kander’s compelling story. Kander’s decision to highlight his support for background checks as a way to keep weapons out of the hands of terrorists is also a great line: According to a recent PPP survey, 84 percent of Missouri voters support increasing background checks, including 79 percent of Republicans. All in all, this ad gives almost everyone something to like.
Kander’s allies are also up with a new spot contrasting his combat service with Blunt’s Senate record. VoteVets, a group dedicated to electing Democratic veterans to Congress, tells viewers that, while Kander could have chosen to go anywhere after law school, he picked Afghanistan. As footage of combat flashes by, the narrator, who is identified as St. Louis Iraq War veteran John Hussey, argues that Blunt is trying to smear Kander’s record.
Hussey then tells Blunt that he “didn’t level with us about your draft history,” a reference to a February story that revealed that, while Blunt previously insisted that his draft number was never called up during the Vietnam War, he actually received three student deferments. Hussey goes on to say that Blunt “voted against veterans’ benefits for guys like me.” According to Politico, VoteVets is putting $400,000 behind this spot.
As we’ve noted before, Kander has a tough task ahead of him in November. Donald Trump is likely to carry Missouri, so Kander will need plenty of crossover support to win. Kander and his allies are hoping to frame this a contest between a combat veteran and a longtime politician who is enjoying the perks of DC. Blunt and his friends hope that their message that Kander is an incompetent ultra-liberal will be the one that breaks through. Polls have constantly given Blunt a 3 to 7-point lead, though there hasn’t been much Democratic advertising here until recently.
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