From left, supporters Peggy Door, Teri Murray, Kevyn Schroeder, Darryl Jones, and Janelle Criscione greet each other early in the evening at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Hillary Levin
Lucas Kunce, left, and Trudy Busch Valentine are two of the candidates in the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate. They are shown in portraits provided by their campaigns.
Anheuser-Busch products are the only beer choices displayed at the bar at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Hillary Levin
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura Jones greets friends, including Clifford Franklin who gets a hug, at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall, in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Hillary Levin
Tim Meadows chats with ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura Jones at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Hillary Levin
Supporter Kyna Iman greets a friend at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
ST. LOUIS — Trudy Busch Valentine took a commanding lead for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate late into the night on Tuesday.
Valentine was up 43% to Lucas Kunce's 38%Â with 90% of Missouri reporting, according to a compilation by the .Ìý
Valentine jumped to a commanding lead early in the evening. But Kunce made steady progress throughout the night, and by 10:30 p.m. was just 5 percentage points behind Valentine.Ìý
The next closest candidate was Olivette businessman Spencer Toder, with just less than 5% of the vote.ÌýA first-time candidate, Toder funneled more than $800,000 of his own money into his campaign, which has focused on connecting voters with government services.
Valentine, a retired nurse and heir to the Busch beer brewing fortune, and Kunce, a marine veteran and nonprofit policy staffer, led a pack of 11 vying for the Democratic nomination in an effort to flip the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Republican Roy Blunt.
Valentine supporters gathered in the Sheet Metal Local 36 Union Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ to watch results come in.
Sharon Boitano, of south ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, was among the first supporters to arrive, where a bar equipped with Anheuser Busch products and a stage dotted with flags was prepared for the night.
“I knew right away I would support her,†said Boitano, who spent five hours campaigning for Valentine on Tuesday. “I think she's a kind-hearted, honest person that would turn the state’s politics around.â€
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura Jones arrived just after 8 p.m. "Missouri, they say, is a red state. But we have two blue cities on either side in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Kansas City," she said. "So it's important to have someone representing our interests."
Jones has scuffled on Twitter for months with Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who, by then had already been declared the winner of the GOP nomination for senate.
"Do you want to send someone to the U.S. Senate who actually believes in what they say or somebody playing a game?†Jones said.
Still, the general election is expected to be an uphill battle for the Democratic nominee in the state where Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election by a more than 15% margin.
Valentine, 65, of Clayton, is a first-time candidate, but longtime funder of democratic politics. With a net worth estimated between $69.4 million and $219.4 million, she mostly self-funded her campaign.Ìý
Valentine has emphasized health care issues through both her personal and professional experience as a nurse in the race. Another focus of the campaign is combating the opioid epidemic. Her son, Matt Valentine, died of an overdose in 2020.
Valentine is the daughter of August “Gussie†Busch Jr., who died in 1989. Her mother, Gertrude Busch, was Busch’s third wife.
In 2019, her alma mater, the ºüÀêÊÓƵ University School of Nursing, was named for Valentine after she contributed $4 million to the school.
“I’m going to come at this differently than people with their guns and their blowtorches,†she told the ºüÀêÊÓƵ editorial board in a July interview, referring to the Republican candidates’ use of military props and fighting stances. “I’m not a politician. I never thought I’d run for political office.â€
A long list of Misouri Democrats endorsed Valentine, including Jones, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, state Sen. Jill Schupp of Creve Coeur and former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt.
Kunce, however, was the campaign's top fundraiser, with $4.4 million raised through June.
Kunce, a Jefferson City native, attended Yale University, graduated from law school at the University of Missouri-Columbia and then joined the Marine Corps. He spent 13 years in the military, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, before becoming a policy staffer at the American Economic Liberties Project, a nonprofit opposed to monopolies and concentrated corporate power.
He ran as a populist focused on economic issues, advocating for curbing corporate influence in Congress.
Independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Kunce on the eve of the election Monday.Ìý
In all, 11 candidates sought the Democratic nomination. Others were Lewis Rolen of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Gena Ross of Platte City, Carla Coffee Wright of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Josh Shipp of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Jewel Kelly of Festus, Clarence Taylor of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Pat Kelly of ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Ronald William Harris of Kansas City.
Photos: Eric Schmitt, Trudy Busch Valentine celebrate U.S. Senate primary victories in ºüÀêÊÓƵ as Greitens concedes
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Eric Greitens Senate Primary Watch Party
Eric Greitens Senate Primary Watch Party
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Watch party for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine
Eric Greitens Senate Primary Watch Party
Eric Greitens Senate Primary Watch Party
Eric Greitens Senate Primary Watch Party
Eric Schmitt, Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate election night
Dr. Roach: I am writing to you about my 62-year-old wife, in the hope that you can provide an opinion on a question she has and also provide u…
From left, supporters Peggy Door, Teri Murray, Kevyn Schroeder, Darryl Jones, and Janelle Criscione greet each other early in the evening at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Lucas Kunce, left, and Trudy Busch Valentine are two of the candidates in the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate. They are shown in portraits provided by their campaigns.
Anheuser-Busch products are the only beer choices displayed at the bar at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura Jones greets friends, including Clifford Franklin who gets a hug, at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall, in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Tim Meadows chats with ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura Jones at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Supporter Kyna Iman greets a friend at the watch party, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ for Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com