Missouri's Republican candidates for governor have started rolling out their first campaign ads in advance of the Aug. 2 primary, wielding rifles and posing at farms in what one political scientist described as an attempt to "out-conservative each other."
The initial ads serve as a first glimpse into each candidate's strategy for securing the Republican nomination in what's shaping out to be a competitive four-way primary. Suburban St. Louis businessman John Brunner, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, former Missouri House speaker and U.S. attorney Catherine Hanaway and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder are all vying for the chance to take on the Democratic nominee, likely Attorney General Chris Koster, in November.
So far, the ads focus on God, guns and government, said retired Saint Louis University political scientist Steven Puro.
In one ad, Brunner says he'll be guided by his "faith, the Constitution and we the people." Another ad shows him holding hands with his wife in prayer.
Hanaway shoulders a rifle in her first ad, and Kinder touts accolades he's received from the National Rifle Association.
In what appears to be the most attention-grabbing ad so far, Greitens carries an assault rifle that is similar to one he used while on duty, according to his campaign manager. He fires it into an abandoned field and causes an explosion, making him "look like Rambo," Missouri State University political scientist Brian Calfano said.
All four speak against big government or try to portray themselves as political outsiders. For Greitens and Brunner, who have never before held public office, that meant highlighting their respective roles in the military and in business.
"I'm no career politician," Greitens says before donning protective glasses and firing the rifle.
Brunner tells viewers he's fought government regulations in business.
Hanaway, who previously headed the Missouri House but hasn't held elected office since 2004, says in an ad released Friday that "career politicians have failed us."
Kinder, who has held elected public office for close to 24 years in the Senate and as lieutenant governor, boasts of his efforts to push back against directives from the Obama administration. Most recently, he rallied Republican legislators to back a letter he wrote slamming guidance for public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender identities.
"For the Republicans, more conservative voters will vote in the primary," said Richard Fulton, a retired Northwest Missouri State University political scientist. "They're all trying to out-conservative each other."
The initial ads also try to showcase differences in the backgrounds of the candidates, who share similar views against abortion, in support of gun rights and against national Common Core education standards. Greitens plays up his experience as a former Navy SEAL officer, a Brunner ad shows him standing by a factory line, and the most recent Hanaway ad shows her in a courtroom in an attempt to highlight her work as a U.S. attorney.
Kinder's first ad goes through a laundry list of his record in public office, asking voters to "elect the only candidate with the proven track record and the experience to get things done."
It's unclear how effective the ads will be with the primary still weeks away, political scientists said. There's strategy in trying to build name-recognition and introduce candidates to voters early on, but voters typically start paying attention closer to an election, they said.
"All of the campaign ads happening now that are being splashed all over screens around the state, it's an open question at this point as to whether it's really going to move the needle by the time we get to Aug. 2," Calfano said. "But they are entertaining."
The general election is Nov. 8.