ST. CHARLES COUNTY • A judge's recent campaign mailing claiming endorsements by rival state Senate candidates has stirred some late controversy in the lead-up to Tuesday's Republican primary.

Bob Onder, one of the three Senate hopefuls, said Saturday that Associate Circuit Judge Erin Burlison's brochure inaccurately says he has endorsed her candidacy for a full term as judge. "I've never endorsed her; she never even called me," Onder said.

Another Senate candidate, Vicki Schneider, said while she told Burlison in an email that she does support her, she never meant to make a public endorsement of the type that appeared in Burlison's brochure.

Burlison, who has two opponents herself in the GOP primary, blamed the mistaken listing of an Onder endorsement on "miscommunication" between her and political consultant Tom Smith. Smith is doing work for both Onder's and Burlison's campaigns.

"I believed it was confirmed by our mutual campaign guy," she said, referring to Smith. "I feel terrible about it." Onder said Smith told him that he had told Burlison to personally contact Onder about an endorsement. Smith could not be reached for comment.

Burlison said she sent Schneider an email seeking her backing a few weeks ago.