Frontenac Businessman to Vie for Spot Against Claire McCaskill in Senate Race

St. Charles-John Brunner may not be a seasoned politician. But if his goal was to shake up the race for U.S. Senate, he hit the mark in his first time out.

The Frontenac Republican, chairman of the St. Louis company that produces the ubiquitous Germ-X hand sanitizer, has been traveling the state for months, assembling support and staff in a bid to knock off U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, viewed as one of the more vulnerable incumbents on Capitol Hill.

On Monday, standing among stacks of shipping pallets and in front of two American flags hoisted by forklifts at his company's distribution center in St. Charles, Brunner formally launched his bid for Senate in 2012, his first campaign for elected office.

It's a maiden voyage that may cause some trepidation for his more-experienced rivals. McCaskill and the two prominent Republicans already in the race — former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman and U.S. Rep. Todd Akin — have lengthy political résumés.

Even if his statewide name recognition is virtually nil, Brunner can rightfully lay claim to the mantle of political outsider, a potentially valuable asset when public opinion of both the White House and Congress are at a nadir.
Brunner also enters the race as a potential spoiler to Akin. The two are practically neighbors and could split the vote to Steelman's benefit.

That Brunner is poised to put some of his fortune in the race — making him less reliant on the donor base already tapped by his competitors — could make him even more dangerous.

"The timing for someone like that could never be better," state Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, one of a handful of GOP elected officials who came to see Brunner's kickoff, said of the rookie candidate's outsider status.

In his debut on the stump, Brunner opened with a speech that sought to place the need for business-minded leadership in Washington over partisanship. His speech did not mention "Republican" or "Democrat" once.

"I know what the pundits and elitists will say: 'This guy doesn't have any experience or qualifications as a politician,'" Brunner, 59, said. "Precisely."
Vi-Jon Inc., founded by Brunner's grandfather, has been in St. Louis since 1912. With the notable exception of Germ-X, the company specializes in private label products. Revenue topped $600 million in 2009, when the demand for hand sanitizer jumped because of the 'swine flu" scare.

While Brunner is no longer active in the daily operations of the company, he is poised to put some of his fortune into the race, though he declined to say how much.

"Bottom line," Brunner said, "we're not going to run out of gas."
Still, it's unlikely Brunner will make it to the finish line without considerable donations from others. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt's campaign raised $12 million to win his seat in 2010.

This year, Brunner has invited comparisons to Wisconsin freshman U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a plastics manufacturer who last year unseated the state's tenured Democrat, Russ Feingold.

Of course, Johnson had two overmatched primary opponents — one a Milwaukee plumber — while Brunner will fight for the GOP's nomination against a pair of well-financed competitors with conservative credentials likely to resonate with the party's base.

One of Brunner's primary competitors is Akin, of Wildwood. Brunner's family has donated thousands of dollars to Akin's campaigns since he first ran for Congress in 2000. Akin even spoke at Brunner's father's funeral. But competing against one another could do more than just damage their friendship.

If Brunner and Akin split the St. Louis-area votes, it could buoy the prospects of Steelman, the other major Republican in the race. She is from Rolla, but she also has ties to southwest Missouri, which is rich with Republican primary voters.
Akin's campaign Monday said it's looking "forward to a vigorous debate of the issues with Mr. Brunner."

Steelman, meanwhile, directed a Twitter message his way.
"Welcome to the race!" she wrote. "The water is fine."

Though Brunner is trumpeting his political inexperience as a plus, it could also present a liability. A key reason veteran office-seekers emerge as the favorites for major positions is that they have already been battle-tested and thoroughly vetted: Voters, and party leaders, know what to expect.

The same cannot be said for Brunner, who is learning quickly that his private life will soon be fodder for the opposition. Already, the court file related to his 2004 DUI arrest has been inspected by an Akin operative and a Democratic official from St. Charles County.

Brunner's drivers license was suspended for three months, but the case was later wiped from his driving record after a judge invalidated the breath test.
Last week, the Missouri Democratic Party filed an election complaint against Brunner, alleging that he engaged in a "dance of the seven veils" to avoid disclosure requirements while preparing for his run.

Those mulling a campaign for office are permitted, under federal election law, a "testing the waters" phase in which they can put off filing campaign finance forms, as Brunner has done.

Democrats contend that Brunner decided on his candidacy long ago, but put off formally announcing until Monday, the first business day of the new fundraising quarter.

The delay means that Brunner misses the cut to file financial disclosure forms later this month. Instead, he doesn't have to reveal his campaign finances until January.

"Brunner made the choice to file for the Senate after the deadline for financial disclosures," said Missouri Democratic Party spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki, "which means he's spitting in the face of transparency and accountability."
Asked about the timing of his announcement, Brunner said Monday that "we did not want to go until we were ready."

"I know the opposition was anxious for us to get in, " Brunner said. "Now we're here. We're ready to go