Lucas Kunce Sets New Off-Year Fundraising Record For Missouri, Raising $5.4M In 2023 To Beat Josh Hawley, $1.54M In Q4 For Strongest Quarter Yet

January 18, 2024

Independence, MO — In the fourth quarter of 2023, Lucas Kunce raised $1.54 million, bringing his 2023 total to a whopping $5.4 million raised for his campaign to defeat Josh Hawley, the most unpopular Republican incumbent running for reelection in 2024. It’s the largest off-year haul for a U.S. Senate challenger in Missouri history.

Since launching on January 6, 2023, Kunce’s campaign has received more than 165,000 donations, with a $33 average contribution and more than 98% of donations under $200 — all without a cent from corporate PACs. Kunce is supported by grassroots donors from every single county in the state, and he’ll enter 2024 with more than $2.2 million cash-on-hand, building a bigger on-year warchest than any other Missouri Senate challenger in decades. Kunce even had his strongest quarter yet, bringing in more than $1.54 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

“This is how we take back power for everyday people in Missouri,” said Kunce. “By running a grassroots-powered campaign with a big coalition of real Missourians who are sick and tired of phonies like Josh Hawley selling them out and telling them how to live their lives. I want to thank everyone who’s stood behind us and given their dollars, their time, their energy, and more to what we’re building on behalf of working families in this state.”

News of the historic haul follows a record-breaking year for Kunce in his race against Hawley:

Kunce earned the endorsement of the Missouri Fire Fighters, who previously endorsed Republicans for U.S. Senate in Missouri.

Kunce united the state’s election-winning labor movement behind his campaign (with the earliest endorsement ever by the Missouri AFL-CIO for a Senate challenger), despite being a regular target of attacks from Hawley’s allies in Washington.

Kunce has polled within the margin of error against Hawley in multiple surveys for the race.

Kunce has been recognized as one of the best opportunities to flip a U.S. Senate seat in 2024 by journalists, election watchers, and even Donald Trump.

Leading organizations like the League of Conservation Voters, End Citizens United, and Social Security Works PAC are backing Kunce’s efforts to take this seat back for everyday Missourians.

And the news follows a disastrous year for Hawley and his reelection chances:

Josh Hawley has the lowest approval of any Senate Republican on the ballot in 2024, with worse approval than even Ted Cruz in Texas and Rick Scott in Florida. With Missouri’s smaller electorate and cheaper media markets, it shows Missouri is the most affordable opportunity to flip a seat in 2024.

Hawley, a major leader in the extremist crusade to overturn Roe and outlaw abortion without exception in Missouri, has been exposed for using his official office and power as U.S. Senator to support his wife’s legal efforts to outlaw abortion drugs nationwide. He’ll now likely even have to put his record on the ballot alongside a constitutional amendment for abortion rights in 2024.

Hawley has been criticized by Missouri workers for cynically using them as campaign props while he sells out Missouri workers when it counts.

Hawley’s “Manhood” book was released and immediately dunked on by all unfortunate enough to read it.

High-profile, born-and-raised Missourians like Jon Hamm have helped Lucas Kunce shine a light on the race and expose Hawley as the fraud and coward he is.

Heading into 2024, Lucas Kunce has built a record-breaking, worker-led, and people-powered coalition to defeat Josh Hawley and take this U.S. Senate seat back for working families.

Here’s how former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander — who has won statewide and nearly defeated GOP incumbent Roy Blunt while overperforming the Democratic national ticket by double-digits — summed up the race:

“Lucas Kunce can defeat Josh Hawley. With Joe Manchin’s retirement taking West Virginia’s Senate race off the board, Missouri is the perfect candidate to replace it. And for anyone who cares about democracy, reproductive freedom, health care access and working families, this race should be a priority… Just like voters in states where we’ve seen big wins for Democrats and pro-freedom initiatives in the past year, hundreds of thousands of voters in Missouri are still splitting their tickets… Just as we saw in elections across the country — both this year and in the last decade — pundits and presidential politics won’t be deciding the result of every race in 2024. Voters will be.”