Hawley defeats Kunce in Missouri U.S. Senate race, AP projects
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Josh Hawley defeats Lucas Kunce in a hard-fought race for a Missouri U.S. Senate seat, the Associated Press projects.
Hawley, the Republican incumbent, wins his second consecutive six-year term for the Senate seat. Kunce, the Democratic challenger, falls short in his third bid for a Missouri U.S. Senate seat.
The race also featured third-party candidates Nathan Kline (Green Party), W.C. Young (Libertarian) and Jared Young (Better Party).
Hawley and Kunce participated in their only live, televised head-to-head debate for their 2024 campaigns at the KTVI/KPLR studios last week. The candidates dove deep into their clashing viewpoints on hot-button topics like abortion rights, immigration, and gun control while also trading personal jabs.
During the debate , Hawley repeatedly criticized Kunce for not being forthright about his policy stances, while Kunce repeatedly accused Hawley of failing to secure adequate funding for the state.
Hawley first attained his U.S. Senate seat in 2018, ousting Democrat incumbent Claire McCaskill by a margin of 51.5% to 45.5%.
While serving in the Senate, Hawley has branded himself as a populist, pushing for reforms within big-tech companies, expressing support for unions, and advocating to compensate victims of radioactive contamination in Missouri.
Hawley is a staunch supporter of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and is also known for challenging the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results.
Hawley also expressed the following viewpoints during last week's televised debate and one-on-one interviews with FOX 2 that followed:
He expressed support for a cap on credit card interest rates, once proposing an 18% cap but noting he would support a lower cap.
He said he does not believe in a national abortion ban and would support "reasonable restrictions," which he described as ones for partial-birth abortions and cases where the fetus is capable of feeling pain. However, he said that he intended to vote against Missouri's Amendment 3 over reproductive health rights, claiming it would allow minors to undergo sex changes without parental consent.
He expressed support for stricter penalties for violent criminals over new gun restrictions.
He expressed support for closing the U.S.-Mexico border entirely, reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" program, and allowing ICE to deport all illegal immigrants in the United States.
He said the U.S. should support Israel without pushing for a ceasefire in military operations, while also calling for a reduction in aid to Ukraine.
He denied claims that he wanted to slash Social Security.
"You may not agree with me on every position that I take, but when I take a position, I'll be honest with you about it. And I will stick to it," said Hawley during last week's televised debate.
Hawley's opponent, Marine veteran Lucas Kunce, was campaigning for his first term in a Missouri political office.
Kunce branded himself as a different kind of Democrat during his campaign, one who expressed ambitions to work with both sides of the aisle and represent rural Missourians. His campaign emphasized his support of abortion rights and universal health care, along with reforms for ownership of U.S. agricultural land.
Hawley centered much of his 2024 campaign around attacking Kunce's positions, claiming his opponent's stances on Amendment 3 and amnesty would hurt working-class voters. Kunce had frequently accused Hawley of being out-of-touch with the average Missourian.
Before he became a Senator in 2019, Hawley served as Missouri's Attorney General from parts of 2017 to 2019.
During his time as attorney general, he took on high-profile lawsuits and investigations while focusing many of his efforts on Missouri's problem of opioid addiction. Hawley sued several major pharmaceutical companies for alleged fraudulent advertising about the addictive nature of their drugs related to the opioid crisis.
Hawley also gained attention as attorney general when he investigated Missouri Republican Governor Eric Greitens for allegedly using the resources of a charity organization for political advancements. The case was dropped when Greitens agreed to resign as governor.
Before his experience as attorney general, Hawley worked as a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. Hawley is a 2006 graduate of the Yale Law School.
Hawley was born on December 31, 1979, in Springdale, Arkansas, and his family later moved to Lexington, Missouri, a small town in Lafayette County just outside of Kansas City. Hawley and his wife, Erin, are parents to three children.
