Hawley Pulls A Nikki Haley To Inflate Topline Raise Numbers. But Kunce STILL Outraises. By A Lot. Kunce’s record haul of more than $1.1 million is nearly double what Josh Hawley’s campaign reported for Q1 — but more than triple what Hawley raised directly from actual donors.
Independence, MO – Josh Hawley has taken a page out of Nikki Haley’s playbook, utilizng “fuzzy fundraising math” to inflate the topline raise. FEC reports that Josh Hawley’s total receipts for Q1 come in at $600,735.05 — a haul that his Democratic opponent, Lucas Kunce nearly doubled with his record-breaking fundraising.
But a closer look at the numbers reveals that only $334,712.56 of that money came from real people via direct contributions to Hawley’s campaign committee. Given that he spent $543,890.14, this would put Josh Hawley in the red for the quarter — an embarrassing Q1 result for a GOP incumbent who’s up for re-election.
So, how did Hawley and the national GOP try to save face? On the very last day of the quarter, the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s joint fundraising committee transferred nearly $250,000 to Hawley’s campaign just hours before the quarterly filing deadline to get the deficit off Hawley’s books as his opponent broke Missouri fundraising records.
After a new poll showed Hawley’s approvals underwater and the NRSC’s recent and now-ratioed attempt to attack 13-year Marine veteran Lucas Kunce, it’s clearer than ever that Hawley and the GOP view Kunce as a threat in 2024.
“We’re not only proud of raising a record amount of money, we’re proud of how we did it,” said Caleb Cavarretta, campaign manager. “Lucas continues to focus on real people in his fight against Josh Hawley, not massive corporations that have bankrolled Hawley for years and helped him strip this state for parts.”
Kunce has built a truly grassroots movement — 97% of donors gave $200 or less. The average donation was $34. And not a single penny was raised from corporate PACs.
After Lucas set a record for his first week raise with a viral campaign launch video that has been viewed over 3 million times on Twitter alone, his grassroots fundraising continued at a record pace throughout the quarter as coverage and enthusiasm continued to grow around his candidacy.
The news of Kunce’s fundraising also follows a series of endorsements from Missouri labor unions (Insulators Local 1, Sprinkler Fitters Local 268, Bricklayers Local 1, Tilesetters Local 18, Insulators Local 63, and Roofers Local 2), Social Security Works (in their first endorsement of a challenger this cycle), and Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell, as well as a grassroots event featuring Andy Cohen and a rally at the famous Gates BBQ in Kansas City.