GOP incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri responded Tuesday to a much talked-about political ad by Secretary of State Jason Kander, fighting back as his Democratic challenger grows closer in the polls.
Kander, a former Army Captain who served in Afghanistan, started airing an ad last week showing him blindfolded, efficiently snapping his assault rifle back together. He says he voted in favor of gun rights while in the statehouse but supports background checks “so terrorists can’t get their hands on one of these.” Then he throws down a challenge.
“I approved this message,” Kander says, pulling off the blindfold, “because I’d like to see Sen. Blunt do this.”
Blunt came back with an ad, entitled “Only One,” showing several people putting guns together and using Dr. Seuss-like language
“Some people can put together a gun blindfolded. Some do it really fast. Some really, really fast. Some do it upside down and blindfolded,” the voiceover says. “But only one of these is a Hillary Clinton national campaign chairman.”
The ad says Kander got an F from the NRA. Blunt, who received three military deferments while in college during the Vietnam War, has been endorsed by the NRA and is the top recipient of NRA campaign donations.
Recent polls show Kander within a few points of Blunt. FiveThirtyEight names the Missouri race as one that could tip the U.S. Senate towards Democrats.
