Democrats are treating Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) like the certain Senate nominee this fall, but Blunt’s rival in next week’s Republican primary is getting an insurgent boost from Sam “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher.
Wurzelbacher endorsed state lawmaker Chuck Purgason for the Aug. 3 Republican primary in Missouri, saying in a new television ad (which he paid for) that voters “do have a choice” in the race. He noted his emergence on the national stage and said he’s made it his goal to “stop politicians like Obama.” Wurzelbacher calls Blunt a “Washington insider,” and Purgason a “man with character.”
TPM interviewed Wurzelbacher this afternoon. He said some people hedge their bets with endorsements because they “don’t want to pick a loser” but he recorded the audio for Purgason’s ad because “doing what’s right is always the most important thing.”
On a break from a fishing trip in Wisconsin, Wurzelbacher said the many who have endorsed Blunt want favors and the fact he’s the presumed nominee proves Blunt is part of the “good ‘ol boy network.” He said Purgason can still win, and should, because he has “more integrity.”
Blunt leads Purgason 62-13 in a primary poll conducted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Watch the ad, which will run through the primary:
