MO-Sen: The primary is heating up - Sarah Palin has endorsed, and there's a bit of drama

Former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has endorsed a candidate in Missouri's GOP primary for U.S. Senate.

Ya don't say?

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. and bomber pilot Tony Monetti has earned the nod from Palin, who will campaign for him in Kansas City on June 27. A public rally will be held along with a VIP fundraiser, which Monetti says is "a game changer" for his campaign.

Monetti told TheBlaze, "So many [of our supporters] want signs, and we can't afford to make them fast enough."

He said, "I had one supporter say, 'I don't have a lot of money, but I'll paint signs and put them in my neighbors' yards."

But Palin's endorsement is expected to breathe extra life into Monetti's campaign.

How did that happen?

Tony's wife, Penny, has always loved Sarah Palin. So after Palin posted on her website that Tony's announcement release was the "best campaign video of all time," an introduction was in order.



Penny flew to meet with Palin and told her about Tony's initiatives.

In the campaign video, Monetti says, "I don't know about you, but I'm just sick and tired of what's going on in D.C.," all while he's flying (mostly upside-down) in a single engine Extra 300.

"I'm willing to do it, but I need your help," Monetti tells his audience in the video.

He told TheBlaze, "We're moving hearts and minds, but we need more money."

What else?

Monetti's campaign manager, Jonica Hope, was arrested last week for allegations of falsifying a sworn statement. Hope evidently admitted to a charge of fraudulent use of a credit device a few years ago, and failed to report it when she was signing up to run for the Christian County Republican Committee.

Under advisement by her attorneys, Hope was not able to speak about the situation. But Monetti told TheBlaze in laughter, "We are the basket of deplorables, after all. We're a ragtag team but we're all heart and we're going to win."

The Republican primary is Aug. 7. Monetti's main challengers include Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, 2016 Libertarian presidential candidate Austin Petersen, and Navy veteran Courtland Sykes.

Sen. Claire McCaskill is the Democratic incumbent in the race.