JEFFERSON CITY — A Republican candidate’s last-minute effort to block television stations from running an attack ad against him before the Aug. 6 primary has been dismissed.
Attorney David Wasinger, who is running for lieutenant governor, filed suit in Ƶ County just days before voters headed to the polls in an attempt to force North Carolina-based Hearst television stations to pull the ad.
Ƶ County Judge Kristine Kerr refused to grant a temporary restraining order, and the ads financed by a political action committee supporting Sen. Lincoln Hough in the race continued airing.
Wasinger, a Huntleigh resident, won the GOP primary, defeating Hough, chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, by a slim margin.
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The case was voluntarily dismissed by Wasinger’s attorney on Tuesday.
In the complaint, Wasinger alleged that an ad falsely called him an “abortion-loving Democrat” despite him being endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC, one of the leading anti-abortion organizations in the state.
“Simply put, this ad is so riddled with errors and Lincoln PAC does not even attempt to substantiate many of the falsehoods,” the complaint alleged.
Wasinger, a former University of Missouri trustee, had sought an award in excess of $25,000 for defamation and slander.
“Plaintiff has spent millions of dollars on this campaign and has spent thousands of dollars responding to these false and defamatory advertisements and has been damaged,” the complaint said.
Campaign finance reports show Wasinger self-funded his bid with $2.6 million in loans to himself.
A campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Wasinger, a certified public accountant, previously campaigned for state auditor in 2018 but lost the Republican primary.
Wasinger, whose wife, Colleen, is a former Ƶ County Council member, is favored to win the November general election against Democratic nominee state Rep. Richard Brown of Kansas City. No Democrats currently serve in any statewide office.
Wasinger’s latest fundraising report shows he entered the general election period with $265,300 in his war chest, compared to $5,918 for Brown.
Brown supporters launched a PAC Tuesday to begin raising money for his candidacy.