Josh Hawley and challenger Lucas Kunce meet at Missouri State Fair, argue over debates (2024)

SEDALIA, Mo. — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley confronted Democrat Lucas Kunce on Thursday morning at the Missouri State Fair, where the two candidates argued about holding a debate as media and bystanders gathered around them.

The scene occurred at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast more than a week after Hawley challenged Kunce to a debate on the back of a trailer at the state fair and after Kunce’s campaign said the Republican incumbent was avoiding a “real debate.”

“Are you going to debate me today?” Hawley asked Kunce as the two men shook hands.

“He’s really obsessed with this stunt, man,” Kunce said to reporters, as Hawley persisted. Later, the Democrat told Hawley repeatedly he was “being weird” as he urged Hawley to instead agree to statewide televised debates.

The row between Hawley, 44, and Kunce, 41, threatened to overshadow Gov. Mike Parson, who was basking in his final year presiding over the annual event of breakfast, coffee and a bit of politics.

“It’s a special moment for me and my family,” the governor told the Post-Dispatch.

Following the breakfast, fair officials surprised Parson by announcing that a new indoor arena being built on the fairgrounds would be named after him.

After Hawley’s initial debate challenge last week, the Missouri State Fair Commission said it couldn’t accommodate political debates.

Hawley was scheduled to attend a debate later Thursday near the fairgrounds and hosted by the Missouri Farm Bureau. But Kunce’s team has criticized that event because the Farm Bureau endorsed and financially supports Hawley’s campaign.

In a letter to the Farm Bureau, Kunce’s campaign manager Caleb Cavaretta said the organization is not among those authorized to host a debate under federal election law and said Kunce “does not wish to expose the Farm Bureau or your members to unnecessary risk.”

Hawley said Kunce has “been in his basem*nt for two weeks, and he’s spent the last two weeks insulting the Farm Bureau. Some of you have now seen this letter that he wrote threatening the Farm Bureau with legal action.”

“It’s a lie. We didn’t threaten the Farm Bureau. He put their 501c3 (tax-exempt) status in jeopardy by coordinating with them in violation of FEC rules,” Kunce said.

“Oh, bull(expletive),” Hawley said.

“The ridiculous thing here is that we have a guy who can’t agree to five televised debates,” Kunce said.

“Dude! We’ve got a debate stage right there. Let’s go over there,” Hawley said.

In response to reporter questions, Hawley said he no longer supported a so called right-to-work law, which voters struck down in 2018 and would forbid unions from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of employment.

“I don’t think it’s fair to ask union organizers to have to organize for people who are not paying union dues,” Hawley said.

“He doesn’t believe in labor,” Kunce said, adding Hawley has tried to remake himself in an election year “because he knows that taking away our rights is not something that people want, and he’s scared about it.”

“Why are the Teamsters supporting me?” Hawley asked.

“Do a real debate, man,” Kunce said.

Hawley also said, “I’m sure I’d support it,” when asked about a minimum wage and guaranteed paid sick leave ballot question on the Nov. 5 ballot.

While the U.S. Senate candidates tussled, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Crystal Quade and her opponent, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, greeted each other cordially as the crowd of more than 1,200 people ate breakfast and talked politics.

In a state where no Democrats hold statewide office, Quade said questions on the ballot to legalize abortion and raise the minimum wage will help drive more blue voters to the polls.

“We know that’s going to excite people and turn people out to vote,” Quade said.

Republican David Wasinger, who emerged from a crowded GOP race for lieutenant governor, will face Democratic Rep. Richard Brown of Kansas City in the general election.

But in an interview, the St. Louis County attorney would not provide details of how he wants to achieve his main goal of “draining the swamp” if he wins an office with few employees and fewer constitutional duties.

“Our goal is simply to get the Republican slate of candidates elected. After that, I will be happy to sit down with you and discuss how we’re going to go about draining the swamp,” Wasinger said.

In the race for state treasurer, Republican nominee Vivek Malek insisted he would not back off his hard push against illegal immigration as he runs against Democrat Mark Osmack for a full, four-year term.

“Immigration is very personal to me,” said Malek, having emigrated from India to Missouri to pursue studies at Southeast Missouri State University. “I am not against immigration, but it has to be legal immigration. It took me 16 years to gain my citizenship.”

Rep. Barbara Phifer, a Kirkwood Democrat who is running for secretary of state against hard-right Sen. Denny Hoskins, said her opponent’s insistence on hand-counting ballots rather than tabulating them electronically is “a disaster waiting to happen.”

“We don’t need more chaos in our elections. It’s reckless,” Phifer said. “It’s just a way to create more distrust in our elections.”