Blunt

Update: So much for that. The Springfield News-Leader reports that the advertising company has been reversed by its national office, which says politics should not have played a role in the decision.

A liberal advocacy group is learning it’s not easy taking on U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt on his home turn.

The Springfield Republican, a candidate for U.S. Senate, was targeted earlier this summer by a radio ad from USAction and its state affiliate, the Missouri Progressive Voter Coalition.

The spot, which criticized Blunt for accepting campaign donations from the insurance industry, ran in his southwest Missouri district.

But now, USAction is seeking to put the same attack on a billboard — and their efforts have been rebuffed.

As reported by Chad Livengood in the Springfield News-Leader today, Lamar Advertising Co. has rejected the group’s attempt to buy billboard space in the Springfield area.

“Roy Blunt, the target of this smear campaign, is a local politician and has been a strong proponent of outdoor advertising in Missouri for a number of years,” Lamar said in an email message to USAction, according to a release on the group’s website. “As much as we would always love the business, we will have to respectfully decline.”

In the release, USAction Program Director Alan Charney said the group is seeking alternative methods to get its message out.

“We’re guessing, ” Charney said, “that there are newspapers in Congressman Blunt’s district that would welcome our business.”