Release: Unlike Senator Blunt, Jason Is Willing to Break with His Party to Do What’s Right for Missouri

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 6, 2016

Contact: Chris Hayden

chris@jasonkander.com

573.326.9323

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Senator Blunt today launched another desperate attack aimed at distorting Jason Kander’s record of bipartisanship and putting Missouri first. In reality, it is Senator Blunt that has a long history of advocating for greater partisanship in Congress and putting his party bosses and Washington lobbyists before Missouri’s working families.

Jason has stood up to his party when it was right for Missouri, including supporting a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and opposing closing Guantanamo Bay. Jason also opposed President Obama’s executive actions on immigration and was the first Democratic Senate challenger to come out against the Iran Deal.

In the state legislature, Jason worked with members of both parties to balance the budget without raising taxes and partnered with a Republican to pass the first major ethics reform bill in more than 20 years. As Secretary of State, Jason teamed up with Republicans in the state legislature to push legislation making Missouri business filing fees the lowest in the nation and successfully passed a bill cutting fees and red tape for family farms.

While Jason has a strong record of working across the aisle, Senator Blunt’s actions and words make clear his preference for partisanship and gridlock. Senator Blunt once said that he believes “the spirit of bipartisanship can be easily overrated” and as a member of the House said leadership would need to be “more partisan… rather than focus on the work on the floor.” Senator Blunt also supported a highly partisan plan that could have shut down the Department of Homeland Security last year and also voted with his party to protect tax breaks for companies sending jobs overseas.

“Senator Blunt is distorting Jason’s record of fighting for Missouri families to distract from his dismal record of putting Washington lobbyists and party bosses first,” said Chris Hayden, communications director for the Kander campaign. “As Jason has shown time and time again, whether it was speaking against the Iran Deal, opposing the closure of Guantanamo Bay, or disagreeing with the President’s executive orders, he will never hesitate to break with his party to do what is right for Missouri. The contrast in this election is clear. While Senator Blunt has spent his career fighting for Washington special interests and serving D.C. lobbyists, Jason has fought for Missouri’s middle class families at home and overseas.”

To read the full fact check for the ad click HERE.