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Busch Valentine wins Democrat bid for Senate

Jefferson City, Mo.  Trudy Busch Valentine, daughter of beer magnate August “Gussie” Busch, has secured the Democratic nomination for United State Senate.

Trudy Busch Valentine’s ability to outspend Lucas Kunce ultimately outweighed a lack of public appearances and campaigning as she snagged the Democratic nomination.

Busch Valentine used her capital to dominate the airwaves in the race. She traded defamation claims with Kunce as the advertisements turned to personal attacks in the race’s late stages

Busch Valentine held a lead but struggled with young voters in the limited polling done on the Democratic primary. Still, her commitment to her pro-choice stance, and her identity as a pro-choice woman in the first election after Roe v. Wade was overturned, gave her a key, and extraordinarily motivated base of support. 

Busch Valentine will go on to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in the general election. Busch will have the capital to compete in fundraising with Schmitt, but will be considered the underdog.

The last time Missouri elected a Senator, GOP nominee Josh Hawley defeated Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill, who had served in the Senate for over a decade, by nearly six points. FiveThirtyEight rates the Missouri Senate race as “Solid Republican.”