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    Lucas Kunce leads incumbent Josh Hawley in Senate race

    Mars Posted on

    Jason Hancock
    | Missouri Independent

    Democrat Lucas Kunce said he raised $7.6 million in the past three months, more than double the amount raised by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley during the same period.

    Hawley, who is seeking his second term in the Senate, said he raised $3 million. An independent political action committee supporting his re-election, Show Me Strong, has raised just under $1 million.

    But Hawley finished the quarter with more cash on hand than his Democratic rival, ending September with $2.6 million heading into the campaign’s final stretch, compared to Kunce’s $1.5 million.

    Jared Young, who successfully petitioned to form the Best Party for his Senate run, raised $14,860.

    Every public poll on the race has shown Hawley in the lead, with most putting the Republican in double digits. And Missouri hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2018.

    But Kunce has consistently outperformed Hawley, and as the campaign enters its final weeks, he continues to compete with TV ad spending. Since the August primary, Kunce’s campaign has spent $6 million on television ads hammering the Republican and trumpeting Kunce’s populist message.

    Hawley’s campaign spent $3.9 million on ads during that period, with Show Me Strong bringing in about $1.9 million.

    Disclosure reports filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission also reveal that Hawley’s campaign has more than doubled its spending on private jet travel, with nearly $140,000 spent on charter flights since the beginning of August.

    That compares to $132,000 in the first six months of the year.

    Hawley criticized former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s use of private planes to tour the state as a key line of attack during her successful 2018 campaign, arguing that it demonstrated that the Democratic incumbent was out of touch with his voters.

    The criticism was thrown back at him when he was recorded earlier this month boarding a Gulfstream IV SP to hopscotch across the state for campaign rallies with Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.

    Are you preparing to vote on November 5? Visit our free online voter guide for information about your ballot.

    Its latest disclosure form lists eight expenses for charter flights, including nearly $30,000 on September 19.

    Kunce and Hawley are scheduled to debate Oct. 31 on Missouri Nexstar stations, including KTVI/KPLR-St. Louis, WDAF-Kansas City, KRBK-Springfield and KSN-Joplin and their digital platforms.

    This story was first published on missouriindependent.com.

    Mars
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