Lucas Kunce looking to pull off Election Day upset
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce is hoping to pull off an upset on Election Day to unseat U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.
Kunce cast his ballot Tuesday near his home in Independence and shared a final message with voters, boasting about not taking money from any PACs or federal interest groups. He also called on Republicans, Democrats and independents to vote for him to help change "who has power" and "get real representation in the state."
Claire McCaskill was the last Democratic senator to hold a seat in Missouri. McCaskill was elected in 2006 and reelected in 2012 but Hawley unseated her by winning 51.3% of the vote in 2018. Hawley was able to flip 48 counties that went the Democrat's way in 2012, including St. Charles, Platte and Franklin, which represent three of the 12 largest counties in the state.
Hawley leads in recent polls, including one commissioned for Kunce, in 538's poll roundup.
Kunce ran for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2022, losing to Trudy Busch Valentine. Democrats are hoping an abortion-rights amendment on the November ballot will help their candidates. Kunce is trying to ride momentum built after an Oct. 31 debate against Hawley.
His campaign has generated $20.2 million in campaign contributions.
However, unlike previous Democratic Senate candidates within striking distance in a historically red state such as Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022, Kunce has not generated the same amount of attention and resources from the party.
The Jefferson City native has made an effort to appeal to moderates in the state by depicting himself as a gun-owning veteran whose platform focuses on changing who has power in this country. His campaign ads have said he does not want to be tied to any party bosses and he has not publicly endorsed any candidate for president.
Kunce has also said he is against illegal immigration and wants to improve security at the border. His platform is also in favor of increasing teacher pay, ending the state abortion ban and abolishing corporate PACs.
