State rep brings his campaign for attorney general to Cape Girardeau

For state Rep. Jeff Harris, part of getting past today's primary for attorney general is convincing enough Democrats that he has the best chance of keeping the office in the hands of his party.

Harris, of Columbia, met with about a dozen Democrats Monday at Cup 'N' Cork, explaining how he believes his strategy of a beefed-up focus on Internet advertising has paid off in fundraising, allowing him to build up his advertising in other media. That Internet presence, Harris said, has helped him raise $150,000 since July 1. "That is grass roots momentum," Harris said.

The stop was part of Harris's campaign-ending "Give 'em Hell Harris" tour, named to evoke the spirit of the late President Harry Truman and the famous line from his 1948 underdog campaign, is designed to get his supporters energized. Harris faces two well-funded opponents, state Rep. Margaret Donnelly of St. Louis and state Sen. Chris Koster of Harrisonville, and one lesser-known candidate, schoolteacher Molly Williams of Kansas City, in the primary. The winner will face state Sen. Mike Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, who is unopposed in the Republican primary.

November's winner will replace Jay Nixon, attorney general since 1993. Nixon is expected to win his party's nomination for governor.

One technology he has not used, Harris said, is robocalling. Instead, Harris wants to ban the practice that has many voters angry over repeated calls. In some reported instances from across the state, robocalls are waking voters up in the early morning hours to "promote" a candidate. Since there is no legal requirement that robocalls identify who paid for the promotion, some candidates are accusing opponents of trying to provoke a voter backlash with the overnight calls.

"In this campaign we have not done a single robocall," Harris said. He said he will work to expand the state no-call list to include political solicitations.

In all, Harris has visited more than 20 towns in the 72-hour tour, trying to attract local supporters and gain news coverage. "The key thing in a primary is you have to reach the people who are voting," Harris said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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