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Danforth Super PAC to spend up to $20M to lift independent John Wood in Senate race [1]
['Jack Suntrup', 'Robert Cohen']
Date: 2022-07
JEFFERSON CITY — A political action committee controlled by former U.S. Sen. John Danforth plans to spend up to $20 million to support an independent’s bid for the Senate this November.
The Missouri Stands United PAC, in a news release, said it was spending $3 million on direct mail, radio, TV and digital advertising through July 17, with more ad spending on deck.
The ad blitz is to boost John F. Wood, a former investigator for the Jan. 6 committee who launched his campaign Wednesday.
To make the Nov. 8 ballot, Wood must turn in 10,000 signatures to the Missouri secretary of state’s office by Aug. 1.
“I enthusiastically back John Wood’s candidacy,” Danforth said in a statement. “We will be working to ensure voters across Missouri know who John is and urging them to take the first important step in support for a new way in our politics: sign a petition to get John on the ballot.
“With this PAC, we will be able to explain to Missourians why an Independent candidate is the best path forward for our state and why John is the best Independent candidate,” he added.
The release said the PAC began running ads on Monday with Danforth calling on Missourians to support an independent for Senate. The PAC would unveil new ads backing Wood in the coming days, according to the release.
Danforth said in February that a center-right independent with a message of unity “must” run for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat, which is being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican.
Wood, who worked in Danforth’s office early in his career, in an interview Tuesday trained criticism on the two leading candidates in the Democratic and Republican primaries, Eric Greitens and Lucas Kunce.
Both have used militaristic language, with Greitens pretending to hunt political opponents in a campaign ad and Kunce comparing himself to a grenade.
“I think that that (Greitens) advertisement is an embarrassment to our state, and it’s dangerous,” Wood said Tuesday.
“Lucas Kunce, who looks like he’s got a good shot at being the Democratic nominee, has described himself as being a hand grenade, and said ‘just pull the pin and roll me into the Senate so I can blow things up,’” Wood said. “I know that rhetoric may motivate a small group of people, but I don’t think it’s what the vast majority of Missouri voters want.”
Kunce, in a statement Wednesday, said “Bring. It. On.” in response to Wood’s candidacy.
His campaign derided Wood as “a Republican in sheep’s clothing” and “an anti-choice Clarence Thomas clerk,” referring to one of the five Supreme Court justices who overturned the constitutional right to an abortion last week.
Wood clerked for Thomas and at the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Kunce’s campaign also called Wood a “Chamber of Commerce mega-lawyer.”
Wood was brought onto the Jan. 6 committee by the Republican co-chair, Rep. Liz Cheney. Before joining the committee, Wood worked as general counsel for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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[1] Url:
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/danforth-super-pac-to-spend-up-to-20-million-to-lift-independent-john-wood-in/article_b5184dfd-4cdc-5903-a86b-3988d4e2f0ac.html
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