“It was then that I found that being the mayor of a large city is where you can make the most changes,” he said.

But running for mayor was something he had to work up to. First he ran for a seat on the Cleveland School Board in 1981. Later he ran for City Council. He lost both races.

By 1992, Haas had relocated to St. Louis and won a $250,000 lottery. “I felt like the money came from a guardian angel,” he said.

He used most of the money to launch a campaign for circuit attorney — a position Haas said he didn’t particularly want, but used as a “warmup” for future campaigns.

Since then he has run for the Missouri House four times, Congress four times, mayor four times and lieutenant governor and city alderman once each. He lost all those races.

His only electoral victories have come with the elected School Board. He is serving his fourth term on the board, which has been sidelined since 2007 by a state-appointed board.

He faces six rivals in the March 7 Democratic primary for mayor. Whoever wins will be heavily favored in the April 4 general election.