Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., launched on Tuesday the first ad of his Missouri Senate bid, but it is aimed more at boosting his own numbers than at taking on his likely Democratic rival.
In the spot, Blunt highlights his history as a school teacher and university president before warning about runaway government spending.
"I was taught there was nothing you couldn't achieve through education and hard work. But now, that America is threatened," Blunt says in the ad.
"Irresponsible spending and crippling debt are killing jobs today, and our children's future tomorrow."
Blunt faces a handful of lesser-known GOP candidates in the Aug. 3 primary. The most prominent, state Sen. Chuck Purgason, has ambushed Blunt over his long Washington career, courted the Tea Party and launched radio ads comparing himself to Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle, who easily defeated a GOP establishment-favored candidate in her own primary last month.
Public polls have shown Blunt is well ahead of Purgason. But the new Blunt ad signals his nervousness and the possibility that Blunt will not be the runaway winner he wants to be.
The winner of the GOP primary will face Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Democrat and scion of the state's best-known political family.