St. Louis lawyer plans challenge of McCaskill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After much searching, the Missouri Republican Party has found a candidate it hopes will unseat state Auditor Claire McCaskill, a Democrat.

Jay L. Kanzler of the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin, Mo., acknowledged Thursday he will seek the office on the GOP ticket.

Kanzler, 41, is an associate general counsel at Washington University and a former partner in the Brian Cave law firm, Missouri's largest.

He said his background in the law and working for private sector companies, both large and small, qualifies him to run the state's independent watchdog agency.

"Running state government is much like running a business, or at least it should be," Kanzler said. "In my experiences, I have seen a lot of different problems and have come up with a lot of different solutions."

The state auditor's race is one of only two statewide offices on the ballot in Missouri this year, the other being a seat in the U.S. Senate.

There had been much speculation in recent months as to who Republicans would back to challenge McCaskill, who is seeking a second term, but no major name emerged. Al Hanson of Concordia, Mo., has already filed for auditor on the Republican ticket but apparently won't enjoy the party's support in the Aug. 6 GOP primary.

Party's backing

The state party announced Thursday morning that its preferred candidate will file for the office on Monday. However, a party spokesman declined to identify the candidate.

When contacted by the Southeast Missourian, Kanzler confirmed that he had the party's backing to carry its banner in the race.

However, Kanzler said he preferred to wait until Monday to elaborate on the issues that would be the cornerstone of his campaign.

A spokeswoman for McCaskill's campaign said it would be inappropriate to comment on Kanzler's candidacy until it becomes official.

In his capacity as general counsel at a major research university that receives hundreds of millions of dollars a year in government money, Kanzler said he helps ensure those funds are properly accounted for and spent.

"That experience would be somewhat helpful in making sure taxpayers' money is spent efficiently and appropriately," Kanzler said.

Kanzler earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Maryville University in 1988 and a law degree from St. Louis University in 1991.

He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 13 years. They have a 3-year-old son and 2-month-old daughter.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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