It seems Michael Steele isn't the only Republican Senate candidate this year trying to shake off the scarlet R -- for Republican.

Here's the first campaign commercial from Rep. Mark Kennedy, Republican candidate for Senate in Minnesota. You might notice it doesn't use a certain word. It starts with an R ...

Instead, the ad focuses entirely on Kennedy's family. For instance, here're his kids: "Dad likes to help people. He's principled, independent, just not much of a party guy. I meant he doesn't do whatever the party says to."

This is an open seat, being vacated by Sen. Mark Dayton of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, so it's a potential Republican pick up.

But this ad goes a long way toward showing that not many candidates out there think a Republican is such a great thing to be right now.

(Thanks to reader Cord Nuoffer for sending this in.)

As always, nominations can be sent to:

ryan-at-realclearpolitics.com