Blog

Who Paid For Robin Carnahan's Scam Ads?

July 22, 2009

JEFFERSON CITY—For weeks, Missourians tuning into St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals radio broadcasts have heard paid announcements from Robin Carnahan warning about financial scams. But these spots, which come as Carnahan seeks the Democrat nomination for U.S. Senate, seem focused on promoting Carnahan and repeating her name as much as they do the issues she briefly discusses.

To help determine if these radio spots are irregular, the Missouri Republican Party today filed Sunshine requests with the Secretary of State’s office and the Office of Administration seeking all information related to the production, cost, and communication surrounding these advertisements.

“While we applaud any efforts to inform Missourians about potential scams, it seems that Carnahan is more interested in wasting airtime repeating her name than delivering quality, helpful information. The timing of these paid ads is especially suspicious considering that Carnahan is a candidate for the United States Senate,” said Lloyd Smith, Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party. “The Missouri Republican Party hopes that our Sunshine request will shed light on any potential irregularities with these advertisements.”

The prevalence of these advertisements and the potential costs associated with such an ad buy raise several questions:

• Who is paying for the ads?
• How big is the ad buy?
• How much will the total ad buy cost?
• Who wrote the ad script?
• Who produced the ad?
• Why is it necessary for Carnahan to repeat her name twice in a 30 second ad that is not supposed to be about her?
• Would these paid ads be running if Carnahan were not seeking higher office?

“For many Missourians, these radio spots are the only contact they will receive from Carnahan, who apparently prefers repeating her own name to discussing issues with voters and giving straight answers to reporters,” said Smith. “Who is paying for these ads? Missourians deserve an answer, and in the end, taxpayers must be assured that they are getting the most bang for their buck.”

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