I’m thinking in this case, getting a woman on the ballot would be a much better option. Having Steelman would cut off several avenues of attack from McCaskill.
You are absolutely correct, but there can’t be an intra-party squabble over this. Brunner came in second and he can beat McCaskill. Passing him and his supporters over for the third place finisher could cause a lot of bad blood and even result in legal challenges.
Too bad for Steelman. She had her chance - maybe next time. This one should go to Brunner.