The advertising war between state Rep. Ed Robb, R-Columbia, and Chris Kelly might be a precursor to what many see as one of the most expensive legislative contests in the state.

Kelly	Robb

In his latest TV ads in the 24th House District race, Kelly, a Democrat, touts the support of former Republican officeholders in Boone County. A former Boone County clerk, state legislator and associate circuit judge, Kelly released a series of commercials this month depicting former Gov. Roger Wilson, a Democrat, at the end of a wooden table, asking why "so many Republicans" are backing Kelly.

Several Kelly supporters in the ad say they’ve known Kelly for decades and their rationale stems from a longtime relationship.

Lynnanne Baumgardner, a former president of the Columbia Board of Education, has known Kelly nearly three decades and vouched for his support of K-12 and higher education. "I think the message is that he will try to be a problem solver and try to put political party affiliation aside to achieve solutions for issues Missourians are concerned about," she said in an interview.

Kay Roberts, a former Boone County Southern District judge and legislative liaison to Republican Gov. John Ashcroft, has known Kelly nearly 35 years. Even though she said they often battled in their county government roles, but she learned "to know that over the years that he’s changed, and so have I."

"I happen to believe that he was correct in some of his legislative movements," Roberts told the Tribune. "I decided I really like what he stands for. And if he tells you he’s going to do something, he will do it. I thought those attributes warranted my support."

Both Baumgardner and Roberts said Kelly is the first Democrat they have publicly supported in ads. Other Republicans who have backed Kelly include former Southern District Boone County Commissioner Dave Horner, former Columbia Mayor Bob Pugh and Milt Harper, a former county prosecutor and associate circuit judge.

Kelly said he decided to make the ad because working across the aisle will be critical in the next legislative session. Regardless of the party in power, the margins will likely be small enough to prompt cooperation. "Not only is being bipartisan the right way to go, it’s going to be necessary," he said.

Robb told the Tribune yesterday he had no reaction to Kelly’s ads. After being told of several people who are in the ad, Robb said Baumgardner was "not a Republican" and that Roberts was an "iffy Republican."

He also said there will be a multitude of Democrats supporting his re-election bid, although he said he would not emphasize such support in ads. "We just do it door to door," he said.

Robb recently rolled out his first television ad of the election season. It takes a page from his 2006 campaign, when Robb stressed his role as vice chairman of the powerful House Budget Committee as a reason for his re-election. The new ad stresses funding boosts for higher and K-12 education during his tenure, as well as others issues he’s supported.

Both political parties have taken a keen interest in the Robb-Kelly race. TV advertising, which played a significant role in the 2006 contest between Robb and Democrat Jim Ritter, could be a key to victory.

House Majority Leader Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, who is chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee, said he expects the contest to be just as expensive as in 2006. He expects his group and Democrat-aligned groups will allocate resources to vie for the seat.

"They could come in the way of direct mail, TV, radio - all the avenues that we have," Tilley said. "But the bottom line is the voters of the 24th District are going to be able to decide: Has Ed Robb done a good job? And I think if you look at his record, he most certainly has done a good job."

State Rep. Jake Zimmerman, a St. Louis County Democrat involved in the House Democratic Campaign Committee, said it’s too early to tell whether his organization have a role in the contest. "HDCC resources are about helping candidates with their organization, hiring staff, stuff like that," he said. "Chris Kelly is well past that point."

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