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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin cut a television ad for Missouri GOP Senate candidate Sarah Steelman, calling her "an economist who defends our tax dollars like a Momma Grizzly defends her cubs."

Palin had already endorsed Steelman, but appears in the ad during the final week prior to the state's three-way, too close to call August 8 GOP primary.

"Sarah Steelman earned her reputation as a conservative maverick, blocking pork barrel spending," Palin says in the commercial. "And Sarah will fight for a constitutional amendment that forces Congress to balance the budget."

It's the first television ad Palin has cut for a Senate candidate this cycle, though she has endorsed a number of candidates and recorded a radio spot for Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz (the ad's audio was then used in a television spot).

The ad is running statewide starting Monday.