Lucas Kunce, a Marine veteran who works at a nonprofit advocating corporate monopolies reform, jumped a day after Sen. Roy Blunt
Roy Dean BluntTrump Battles Republican Leadership Hillary Clinton Says She Hopes GOP “ Will Find His Soul ” Blunt Retirement Shakes Missouri Senate Race MORE (R-Mo.) Announced he would not seek another term next year.
Kunce joins what could be a busy Democratic primary field to replace Blunt and leans on his biography as a Missourian native and veteran to garner support for his burgeoning campaign.
In an interview with The Hill, Kunce noted his upbringing in a working-class family in Jefferson City, recalling how his parents went bankrupt after the birth of his sister.
“The normal Missouri person grew up the way I grew up. We struggled, we were all one disaster away from bankruptcy. So for my family those were medical bills, for someone else it could be a car accident, and for another it could be a house fire. And I’ve lived that fight, I grew up in that fight, ”he said.
Kunce was able to use Pell Grants and fellowships to go to Yale University and the University of Missouri School of Law before joining the Marines, and eventually Iraq once and Afghanistan twice. He later left the military to work for the American Economic Liberties Project, a nonprofit that aims to reduce the power of corporate monopolies.
Kunce uses that biography to bring up what he calls a populist agenda in his campaign, telling The Hill he was disappointed with the amount of money spent abroad, while communities in Missouri and across the country are struggling. to have.
“I see us spend, turn out to be trillions of dollars to build those other countries, for nothing really, and me and my buddies risk our lives, building places like Fallujah, Habbaniyah or in Afghanistan Lashkar Gah when we should I spent that money here in cities like Independence where I live now, in St. Louis, which has been forgotten by globalization, and then in my hometown Jefferson City, ”he said.
One of Kunce’s policy proposals is a “ Midwestern Marshall Plan, ” which he says would invest in high-paying jobs in Missouri, particularly in the energy sector.
“We were willing, and will still be, it seems, to spend trillions of dollars out there fighting for this source of energy, when we could actually build the energy of the future here in the Heartland, in Missouri, and the would create jobs. of the future where we can become an exporter of energy products. That’s the kind of thing I want to do. So I want to take our money and not put it in inflatable bubbles, but put it into production instead, “said he.
Kunce is the third Democrat to compete in the Missouri Senate Race, after former Senator Scott Sifton and gay rights activist Tim Shepard. Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas has also told The Kansas City Star that he is considering running for a statewide office.
Kunce said he is “starting talks” with national groups to garner support, but he has already earned the support of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which has ties with Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth WarrenSenate Rejects Sander’s Minimum Wage Hike Philly City Council Calls on Biden to ‘Cancel All Student Loan Debts’ in First 100 Days Hillicon Valley: High Alert as New QAnon Date Approaches Thursday | Biden signals another Trump reversal with national security guidelines | Parler files a new case MORE (D-Mass.).
“As a marine and crusader against corporate monopolies, Lucas Kunce is the kind of Democrat who can win in Missouri – and fight for Missouri families against Big Ag, Big Pharma and other companies that control our farmland and economy,” said Stephanie Taylor. Co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, is expected to launch membership in the organization Wednesday.
Even with substantial support, winning statewide in Missouri will be a tough lift for any Democrat. Show-Me status has shifted hard to the right over the past decade, and earlier President Trump
Donald Trump Trump promises ‘No more money for RINOS’ but instead encourages donations to his PAC. Federal judge rules ‘QAnon shaman’ too dangerous to be released from prison Pelosi says Capitol riot was one of the most difficult moments of her career MORE won the state with double digits in both 2016 and 2020.
Whichever Republican emerges as the party’s nominee will be considered the favorite in 2022, and the GOP is confident that Blunt’s seat will remain in its hands.
“The NRSC will work tirelessly to ensure that Senator Blunt’s successor will uphold his legacy of free enterprise and small government and we will hold this seat. Any candidate who supports the Democrats’ socialist, big government agenda will struggle to find votes in Missouri, a state that Donald Trump won by more than 15 points four months ago, ”Senator Rick Scott (Fla.), President of the United States. the National. The Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) said in a statement Monday.
Still, Kunce maintains that a Democrat has a chance of winning statewide in Missouri, noting that voters have backed populist voting measures such as those to raise the minimum wage and legalize medical marijuana.
While Republicans have had the advantage in the state in recent years, in 2022 they will be in office or on the ticket without Trump, denying a candidate capable of defeating turnout among the party’s faithful. The former president won Missouri by nearly 20 points in 2016, but Blunt only beeped past to victory with 3 points.
“What happened in 2016 was Donald Trump was on the ticket, and even in 2016, the seat I’m running for now was only lost by the Democrat 3 points against a sitting Republican party. People are willing to split their tickets, ”he said. “And if Donald Trump wasn’t on the ticket in 2016, this seat would be taken by a Democratic incumbent right now and I wouldn’t even run.”