Democrat Kunce, who lost Senate primary in August, to challenge Hawley in 2024

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Marine veteran Lucas Kunce came up short in the August primary to Trudy Busch Valentine for the Democratic nominee running for U.S. Senate. Five months later, he announced he is running again.

Kunce released a video Friday stating he will challenge Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in the 2024 election. The announcement was made on the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, a moment for which Hawley is remembered raising a fist to the supporters of former President Donald Trump who protested the results of the 2020 election.

“When things get tough, Missourians deserve someone who will stand up for them, not run for the nearest exit,” Kunce said in a statement. “Our politicians have betrayed Missouri. They’ve forgotten that their job is not only to defend our democracy, but also to fight for the people in it. Josh Hawley is 0 for 2.”

According to Kunce’s bio, he is a 13-year Marine veteran, served three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and later worked at the Pentagon dealing with the threat of global nuclear and chemical weapons.

In the August primary, he fell to Busch Valentine by more than 17,500 votes. She would eventually lose to Eric Schmitt in the November general election.

Hawley was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 after defeating Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill.

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