Independence, Mo. — The August 2 primary elections continue to grow closer. Missouri’s U.S. Senate race has garnered national attention with a tightly contested Republican primary as candidates jockey to fill the seat left by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt.
The two Democrats in the race, Trudy Busch Valentine, daughter to beer magnate August “Gussie” Busch Jr., or former Pentagon staffer and veteran Lucas Kunce will have a real chance of flipping the Senate seat should the right conditions line up. Especially if embattled former Gov. Eric Greitens wins the Republican nomination.
The two Democrats come from each of Missouri’s largest metropolitan areas, Kunce from Kansas City and Valentine from St. Louis. Both are expected to win their respective urban areas if they can galvanize their voter bases.
Kunce has garnered some impressive St. Louis area endorsements, giving him momentum on Valentine’s home turf. This momentum has been increased by Valentine’s refusal to debate.
Kunce announced a number of St. Louis area endorsers in a press release Thursday morning. These include St. Louis County Councilwomen Rita Heard Days and Shalonda Webb, the Fannie Lou Hammer coalition and the Ferguson Township Democrats.
Kunce has already garnered the support of state Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis City, and the Mayor of Ferguson Ella Jones.
Kunce splitting or winning St. Louis would be notable, as Valentine may struggle to connect to voters outside of her own turf.
Perhaps even more notable is the amount of support Kunce is receiving from the Black community. He’s expected to do well in the suburbs as a moderate Democrat with a veteran background, but may struggle to sell that same platform to Black urban voters.
Webb, Heard Days and Aldridge are all strong Black voices in the St. Louis area and may lead to Kunce getting more minority voter support than originally expected.
As the primary sits less than a month away and Valentine continues to ignore requests to debate, Kunce may have significant momentum when it comes time to vote in August.
Kunce’s full list of endorsements from his press release can be viewed below:
Today, Lucas Kunce is proud to announce that he has earned support from leaders across the state who are fighting to improve their communities and empower real Missourians. Lucas Kunce continues to show up for people in every corner of Missouri—rural and urban—and these endorsements are a direct testament to the hard work Lucas has put in on the trail, his empowering message, lengthy record of service to his country, and his real ability to flip this state blue in November.
This list includes MoveOn.org, Councilwoman Rita Heard Days (St. Louis County), Councilman Terry Wilson (City of Jennings), Councilwoman Shalonda Webb (St. Louis County), the Fannie Lou Hamer Coalition (St. Louis), Southland Progress (Kansas City), Former State Senator Wes Shoemyer, Former Mayor Bill McMurray (St. Joseph), Mayor Catrina Robinson (Hayti Heights), Indivisible St. Louis, Bishop Timothy Smith, Sr. (New Life Community Church of God in Christ), Lewis & Clark Township Democrats, Northwest Township Democrats, Norwood Township Democrats, Raytown Democrats, Spanish Lake Democrats, 4th Ward Democrats (St. Louis City), and Ferguson Township Democrats.
Featured Image courtesy of Lucas Kunce
I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.
You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com
