Lucas Kunce wins Democratic Senate primary in Missouri, will take on Josh Hawley

WASHINGTON – Retired Marine Lucas Kunce won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Missouri, using a populist message and a focus on labor leaders throughout the state to consolidate Democratic support over nearly four years of campaigning.

Kunce will now officially take on Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in November, in a matchup that pits two self-proclaimed populist candidates against each other in a Missouri that has been dominated by Republican politicians since the rise of former President Donald Trump.

“This is our one shot to defeat Josh Hawley,” Kunce said on social media. “To take this Senate seat back for real Missourians. To restore our freedoms and rebuild Missouri. And we won’t waste it.”

The Associated Press called the race for Kunce at 7:57 p.m. Kunce beat out state Sen. Karla May, from St. Louis, and progressive activist December Harmon, both of whom ran limited campaigns. Hawley did not have a primary opponent.

Kunce’s win is a marked shift from just two years ago, where Kunce was defeated in the Democratic primary after a late entry from Trudy Busch Valentine, a philanthropist from the Busch beer family who was able to pump millions into her own campaign.

Kunce’s primary loss didn’t crush his political hopes. Just six months later, he launched his second campaign for U.S. Senate on Jan. 6, using the date to highlight Hawley’s actions surrounding the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Kunce has spent much of the past year and half aggressively going after Hawley, is expected to try and make the race about “control,” capitalizing on a potential ballot measure to enshrine protections for abortion in Missouri’s constitution.

Similar to Vice President Kamala Harris, whose presidential campaign has focused on “freedom,” Kunce is attempting to portray Hawley as a “creepy” politician that is seeking to control aspects of people’s lives, from their reproductive choices to whether they’re able to view pornography – all while questioning the validity of Hawley’s support for working-class Missourians.

“The job of a U.S. Senator isn’t to rule us, it’s to represent us,” Kunce said. “To serve communities like the one I grew up in and invest in us so that we have the resources to live our own lives. That’s why we’re here tonight.”

Hawley, who unseated former Sen. Claire McCaskill by 6 percentage points in 2018, is widely expected to win reelection in November. But Hawley said he expected the race will be competitive, partially because he’s earned the ire of Democratic voters over his past six years in the Senate.

“I think it’ll be very competitive,” Hawley told The Star. “I think it’ll be a hard fought race. I think there’ll be just enormous amounts of money from outside the state that will come into the race. My message is that the seat’s not for sale.”

Hawley responded to Kunce’s victory on Tuesday by immediately challenging him to a debate.

“Congrats to (Kunce)”, Hawley said on social media. “Now let’s debate. Next week. MO State Fair, Sedalia. Thursday AM right after the Governor’s Ham Breakfast. No fancy studio or moderators. Just the two of us on a trailer. Lincoln-Douglas style. I’ll bring the trailer. I’ll even let Kunce go first.”

Kunce responded by suggesting that they debate on Fox News.

A culture war

Hawley has spent much of the past two years highlighting issues that have bipartisan agreement – from becoming the most vocal supporter of legislation to expand federal benefits to radiation victims in St. Louis backed bipartisan legislation that would seek to prevent members of Congress from owning or trading stock.

But he hasn’t backed away from the culture war. After becoming infamous for raising a fist to protesters who were gathered at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, ahead of the riot – and later fundraising off the image – Hawley has voted against the majority of President Joe Biden’s political appointees and has loudly criticized the Department of Justice for pursuing cases against Trump.

Last month, Hawley also openly embraced Christian Nationalism – the idea that American politics and culture are, and should be, rooted in the Christian faith – in a speech that expressed support for families and the working class while denouncing large corporations and the LGBTQ community.

While Hawley has broken with his party on some issues supporting private sector labor unions – including his support for a bill to expand the child tax credit, which failed last week – his campaign will also touch on the issues Republicans have focused on over the course of the Biden administration: immigration, crime and the economy.

Where Kunce plans to talk about “control,” Hawley expressed his desire to “protect” Americans: from crime, from drugs, from immigration and from the greed of corporations.

“It’s protecting our kids, protecting our streets, protecting our border and taking on the corporations that are trying to rip off people,” Hawley said.

Kunce, too, has aggressively criticized corporations in favor of labor unions. He spent much of the past year rounding up endorsements from major labor unions across the state, like the United Auto Workers and the Missouri AFL-CIO.

Kunce’s support from labor unions and prominent Missouri Democrats like Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, from Kansas City, helped Kunce lock down the nomination that evaded him two years ago.

“I know Lucas and I trust Lucas,” Cleaver said in a radio ad aired before the primary. “And I know this. You can count on him to invest in our communities, to restore reproductive freedom for Missouri women and to protect our democracy in the U.S. Senate.”

November’s election will also include Jared Young, an independent candidate, and Libertarian W.C. Young.