First TV ad pops up in Jefferson County race

Saint Louis, Mo. — The first cable television ad in what is expected to be a close and bitter senate election in Jefferson County started airing today.

Rep. Jeff Roorda, a Democrat, is running for state senate in the 22nd District, covering most of Jefferson County. Roorda, a moderate, pro-life Democrat, will be facing off against Rep. Paul Wieland in one of the more closely watched races of the November election cycle.

The 22nd District has been held by moderate Democrats for years — Gov. Jay Nixon was once the state senator from Jefferson County — but the region is considered ripe picking grounds for Republicans looking to pad their supermajority in the Senate. The seat is currently vacant due to Ryan McKenna’s appointment to become the director of the Missouri Department of Labor.

Roorda’s first ad is titled “Sense” and hopes to boast his credentials with an increasingly conservative electorate in Jefferson County. Roorda talks about his time as an undercover narcotics officer before quickly pivoting to votes that prove his “common sense” credentials.

“Working under cover, you learn common sense and save lives,” Roorda says in the ad. “Using common sense also separates me from a lot of politicians, from creating jobs to funding public schools to fighting illegal drugs, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to get results.”