KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While St. Louis businessman John Brunner was friendly with his opponents on the debate stage, his campaign team — before the debate ended — was attacking his opponent Sarah Steelman.

Brunner’s campaign downlayed Steelman’s “Show-Me Solutions” package, her package of legislative proposals for her first 60 days as a senator, as a “copy and paste” platform.

“Sarah Steelman may be able to cut, copy, and paste her policy platform into one shiny package, but she cannot hide from her voting record as a state senator or her spending record as state treasurer,” said Brunner spokesman Todd Abrajano.

Brunner’s campaign criticized Steelman for supporting spending measures, fee increases, and government health care initiatives during her time in the state Senate, and increasing her spending as state Treasurer, all in an attempt to pit her as not conservative.

Steelman rejected the charges, saying she has “always been conservative,” and said she was disappointed that Brunner did not make the charges on stage, himself.

“I don’t know why we can’t talk about those issues in front of everybody,” Steelman told reporters after the debate. “He didn’t show up for the first two debates, here he had a chance, and he doesn’t take it.”

Brunner, in an interview after the debate, said the hit is “very friendly jostling back and forth,” and that the feels either of his opponents — Steelman or U.S. Rep. Akin — are “running to the same goal line.

So why did Brunner not push the charges during the debate?

“To the best we can, we follow Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment, especially among Republicans,” Brunner said. “There are going to be plenty of time when we can be tough on the issues.”

On stage, the debate stayed mostly positive, in part because the rules — set by the state Republican party — limited follow up questions, and banned applause from audience members.