Making another campaign stop in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Democratic hopeful Lucas Kunce did what he does best: Offer blunt takes on the shortcomings of his opponent in November, GOP U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.
Repeatedly referencing Hawley as “creepy,†Kunce rallied a crowd of about 200 supporters Monday at the Sheetmetal Workers Union Hall in midtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
At one point, when talking about a confrontation the two candidates had last month at the Missouri State Fair, Kunce said Hawley tried to bully the proceedings.
Alluding to professional wrestling, Kunce said Hawley pulled a “WWE Smackdown on me†by hollering out Kunce’s name while walking through the crowd.
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“He was all miked up with a camera crew following him ... and wearing the cutest little Western outfit you’ve ever seen.â€
Then asking the attendees if anyone had seen the “Barbie†movie, Kunce called Hawley “Midwestern Ken.â€
At the end of the 45-minute Kunce speech, Andi and Joe Blaylock of the Central West End said that they appreciate Kunce’s moderate Democrat stance.
“He’s the kind of Democrat who can win in Missouri, a more moderate one who can appeal to rural areas,†Joe Blaylock said.
And if Kunce was to-the-point in his remarks to the crowd, he was no less direct during a short interview before taking the stage, offering no-frills assessments of several issues from the campaign-trail in recent weeks.
First, when asked why he has declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president, Kunce was blunt.
“I’m not in this race to tell people who should be the president,†he said backstage, shortly before the rally started. “I’m ready and willing to work with anybody to bring money back to this state.â€
Then, when asked what he thinks about recent polls showing him trailing Hawley by double-digit percentage points, Kunce quickly replied, “I don’t.â€
“This (campaign) is all about getting around the state and talking to everybody; we’re still in the getting-acquainted phase,†he said.
Hawley spokesperson Abigial Jackson responded to the remarks Tuesday, saying, “Too bad Kunce didn’t have the guts to debate Josh at the state fair. I guess he’s scared he’ll have to give an honest answer about whether he supports Kamala Harris.â€
All the pointed criticism contained in this week’s installment of the Hawley-Kunce saga is a far cry from last week’s edition — which was ironically highlighted by reports that before they became pitted foes, each candidate spent time singing the other’s praises.
Last week, , before he was running against Hawley, actually praised Hawley for his actions in the Senate in 2020.
Especially pleasing to Kunce, according to the article, were Hawley’s tough questions about national security issues, and his grilling of corporate executives and Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
At one point, according to texts obtained by the publication, Kunce praised Hawley’s “awesome†questioning of a Microsoft executive about China and national security.
“Glad to have someone else caring about this stuff,†Kunce told Hawley.
Not to be outdone in impeaching an opponent with past compliments, Kunce’s camp released information noting that Hawley’s staff took advice from Kunce, when he was working as a policy director for the American Economic Liberties Project.
NOTUS, an the day after the Daily Caller story that Hawley’s office had lauded Kunce, once calling his suggestions “brilliant,†and requested further “legislative solutions.â€
A former Hawley security adviser to Hawley wrote to Kunce in a 2021 email: “Will let you know if any questions arise, and look forward to talking more soon otherwise. Thank you!â€
Kunce has an appearance slated for Thursday at the American Legion Hall in Festus.