JEFFERSON CITY — In Missouri’s race for U.S. Senate, both major candidates have appeared eager to meet on the debate stage.
But as of Monday, incumbent U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and challenger Lucas Kunce had not agreed on any events — nearly a week after Hawley, a Republican, challenged Kunce, a Democrat, to a debate on a trailer at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.
In addition to his prompt debate challenge after the Tuesday primary, Hawley also kicked off the general election with a television attack ad blasting his challenger — reflecting an aggressive strategy to counter Kunce in deep-red Missouri, for a seat elections forecasters consider safe Republican.
Kunce’s campaign said the early negative blitz shows the race is competitive.
“If he (Hawley) thought it was going to be a slam dunk, there’s not a single reason for him to spend a million dollars and counting on negative ads,” said Connor Lounsbury, spokesman for Kunce.
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Kunce on X, formerly Twitter, said Hawley gave his campaign a “pleasant surprise” Tuesday by proposing debates early in the general election. But Kunce said “something was off” when Hawley wouldn’t accept an offer by two television stations to record and broadcast the debate.
The Missouri State Fair Commission issued a statement Friday saying it couldn’t “accommodate any request for political debates.”
Hawley accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by the Missouri Farm Bureau at a location near the fairgrounds.
Kunce’s campaign did not, refusing to even call the event a debate.
Lounsbury, who noted the Farm Bureau endorsed Hawley in the race and financially backed the incumbent’s campaign, said Kunce has accepted five invitations for televised debates and accused Hawley of avoiding a “real debate.”
Kyle Plotkin, spokesman for Hawley, accused Kunce of avoiding farmers.
“Why won’t he show up to talk to farmers?” Plotkin asked. He added that the Hawley campaign is open to additional debates.
“Lucas Kunce has spent his week attacking farmers, instead of agreeing to a simple debate with Josh in Sedalia,” Abigail Jackson, spokesperson for Hawley, said in a news release Monday. (Lounsbury said in response “not ONCE has he attacked farmers.”)
Meanwhile, the negative advertising barrage appeared to catch Kunce’s team off-guard.
“We still thought as a red-state incumbent, Hawley’s first ads would surely be positive, trying to tout his record,” Kunce said Friday on X.
The early negative ad by the Hawley campaign says “left-wing politician Lucas Kunce would take (trucks) off the road,” citing Kunce’s quote in a 2021 American Prospect opinion piece , in part, “we need to ditch all fossil fuels.”
Kunce responded online with old pictures of him with trucks. “This is the dumbest (expletive) imaginable,” he said on X.
The Farm Bureau event, set for noon Thursday, is scheduled to take place after the annual Governor’s Ham Breakfast, which numerous state politicians and media are expected to attend.
In the governor’s race, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, is competing against House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Democrat, in the general election.
Gabby Picard, spokeswoman for Kehoe, said Monday the campaign was “holding” Sept. 20 for a Missouri Press Association debate.
Andrew Storey, spokesman for Quade, said Monday her campaign hasn’t confirmed her participation in that event.