66 Facts About Lucas Kunce

Lucas Tyree Kunce is an American attorney, Marine veteran, and politician.

Lucas Kunce was the Democratic nominee for the 2024 United States Senate election in Missouri, losing to Republican incumbent Josh Hawley.

Lucas Kunce served a tour in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan, during which he deployed on special-operations task forces and worked with security services.

Lucas Kunce was born in Hartsburg, Missouri, and grew up in Jefferson City in a working-class family.

Lucas Kunce's father worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation, while his mother retired to care for his sister, who had heart problems and underwent multiple open-heart surgeries.

Lucas Kunce's family faced financial struggles as a result, eventually going bankrupt.

Lucas Kunce graduated from Jefferson City High School in 2000 as valedictorian and class president.

Lucas Kunce then attended Yale University on a Pell Grant, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical civilization.

Lucas Kunce competed for the school track and ultimate frisbee teams, and joined the cheerleading team in 2003 as the first male member of the team's current incarnation.

Lucas Kunce graduated from Yale in 2004, and obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri School of Law.

Lucas Kunce was admitted to the Missouri Bar on September 12,2007.

In 2006, while attending law school at the University of Missouri, Lucas Kunce ran for the Missouri House of Representatives seat for District 113.

In 2007, Lucas Kunce joined the United States Marine Corps as a judge-advocate in the Judge Advocate division.

Lucas Kunce served a tour in Iraq, leading a police training team in the Sunni Triangle, and two tours in Afghanistan, during which he deployed on special-operations task forces, learned Pashto, worked with Afghan national security forces, and interviewed members of the Taliban.

In Iraq, Lucas Kunce was exposed to toxic burn pits at Al Taqaddum Airbase.

Lucas Kunce joined the Council on Foreign Relations in June 2017.

Lucas Kunce continues to serve in the United States Marine Corps Reserve with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

On March 9,2021, the day after US Senator Roy Blunt announced he would not seek reelection in 2022, Lucas Kunce announced his candidacy for the open seat.

Lucas Kunce was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and VoteVets.

Lucas Kunce said he did not accept corporate campaign donations.

In March 2022, Lucas Kunce reported that his campaign's Independence office was burgled, with "tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment and other resources" reported missing.

On January 6,2023, Lucas Kunce announced his second run for US Senate in a bid to unseat one-term incumbent Josh Hawley.

Lucas Kunce was endorsed by Reproductive Freedom for All, VoteVets, Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, End Citizens United, and Missouri AFL-CIO.

Lucas Kunce has voiced his support for "repealing or revising" Section 230.

Lucas Kunce has said that he would have voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and For the People Act.

Lucas Kunce supports making abortion free under a universal health care system and wants to repeal the Hyde Amendment.

Lucas Kunce has pledged to introduce legislation at the federal level to ban foreign ownership of American agricultural land, and seize and resell land already owned by foreigners.

Lucas Kunce has voiced his support for abolishing corporate PACs and requiring Congress to disclose when a piece of legislation is written by a lobbyist or special interest group.

Lucas Kunce has voiced his support for banning members of Congress from owning stock, including blind trusts.

Lucas Kunce has supported banning defense contractors and family members of sitting members of Congress from serving as lobbyists.

Lucas Kunce has condemned the war on drugs, citing the taxpayer cost, high number of arrests for nonviolent offenses, and disproportionate impact on Black Americans.

Lucas Kunce has said he would push to legalize cannabis nationwide and reassess related convictions.

Lucas Kunce said the primary motivation for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was to secure their oil supplies and that ending US reliance on fossil fuels would reduce military intervention.

Lucas Kunce said the plan would help limit the impact of climate change.

Lucas Kunce has said that he would have voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Lucas Kunce's candidacy was endorsed by the environmental advocacy organization League of Conservation Voters.

Lucas Kunce has called his economic proposals collectively a "Marshall Plan for the Midwest", aiming to reshore manufacturing jobs and reduce funding of foreign military interventions in favor of domestic infrastructure and industry investment.

Lucas Kunce has condemned US military nation-building campaigns in foreign countries such as Afghanistan, and advocated reducing military funding in favor of domestic development.

Lucas Kunce has said he did not support the 2003 invasion of Iraq and that the US should militarily intervene in other countries only in cases of self-defense, citing the initial stages of the invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks as an example.

Lucas Kunce has called on the US to "recruit and welcome" immigrants from all countries.

Lucas Kunce opposes US-based businesses offshoring manufacturing and foreign ownership of US agricultural land.

Lucas Kunce supports attracting educated immigrants to the US to attract wealth and benefit the creation of new industries.

Lucas Kunce has suggested that he supports opening diplomatic relations with the Taliban.

Lucas Kunce has said that the US relies too much on Chinese manufacturing, and that large US companies are too subservient to Chinese interests.

Lucas Kunce has condemned American universities for accepting Chinese students funded by the People's Liberation Army, saying students use their time in the US to study emerging tech and then take their research back to the PLA, but has suggested that the US more intentionally recruit Chinese students and workers in the US into long-term work in US-based industries and help them become citizens.

Lucas Kunce has proposed forcing joint ventures for Chinese-based companies who wish to set up in the US, and federally backing loans for US-based businesses wishing to get into industries "captured" by China.

Lucas Kunce has expressed support for invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Defense Production Act of 1950 to do this in some circumstances.

Lucas Kunce has said that the US military advantage over China has been "slipping away" and blamed the US's "monopoly crisis" for stifling development, citing the buyout of US-based military telecommunications manufacturer Lucent and the rise of Chinese state-funded telecommunications company Huawei as examples.

Lucas Kunce has condemned the consolidation and offshoring of US military-industrial manufacturing as a threat to national security, saying it can lead to kickbacks or market failure.

Lucas Kunce has suggested banning Chinese investment in US-based companies.

Lucas Kunce has said that the US should avoid going to war over China-Taiwan relations and that the US economy "would absolutely shut down" if China invaded Taiwan due to US reliance on Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Lucas Kunce said the primary motivation for US intervention in Taiwan would be to protect that industry, and proposed that the US invest in American semiconductor manufacturers such as Intel in order to combat that reliance, allowing it to stay out of a possible conflict.

Lucas Kunce condemned the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and called for a ceasefire in October 2023.

Lucas Kunce later indicated support for US military aid and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Lucas Kunce says he supports abolishing the filibuster to support more gun control legislation and wants more universal background checks and expanded red flag laws.

Lucas Kunce has said that the minimum age to purchase a gun should be raised to 21.

Lucas Kunce has voiced his support for expanding access to health services for veterans, including mental health services and medical marijuana.

Lucas Kunce has condemned "abusive prices" set by insulin producers and has proposed charging companies Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi with monopolization of insulin production under the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Lucas Kunce has voiced his support for "the union way of life," and has said that trade unions lead to "better wages, benefits, and protections" for workers.

Lucas Kunce has said he would have voted for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, and he says will push for legislation that ensures paid family, medical, and sick leave for all workers.

Lucas Kunce has said he would like to strengthen the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Lucas Kunce has identified "pay discrimination against Americans with disabilities" and "workplace harassment" as key labor rights issues as well.

Lucas Kunce has implied that he would support federally mandating worker representation on corporate boards of directors.

Lucas Kunce has supported legislation intended to counter the rise in xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lucas Kunce is an Episcopalian and a member of the Grace Episcopal Church.

Lucas Kunce cautioned that he wasn't present and had only reviewed photos of the event, but said, "Just as a general rule, it looked like they were way closer than they should have been if they were shooting steel".