Hawley and Kunce clash during Senate debate over aid to Ukraine and abortion vote • Missouri Independent
SPRINGFIELD — The United States should abandon its support for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley said Friday during his first debate with his challenger Lucas Kunce and two third-party candidates.
“I do not support further funding to Ukraine,” Hawley said, adding that he would not support further aid until Congress agreed to compensate Missourians who have suffered from diseases caused by Exposure to radioactive waste Remnants from the Second World War.
Kunce, a Marine veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the alternative to military and economic aid to the beleaguered republic is sending U.S. troops. Hawley’s position will embolden other adversaries in the world, Kunce said, including China and Iran.
“Our $200 billion in aid to Ukraine is infinitely cheaper than the $6 trillion we spent in Iraq and Afghanistan, supposedly on nation-building after we put troops there,” Kunce said.
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Hawley, the Republican incumbent seeking a second term in the Senate, and Kunce, a Democrat seeking a second term in the Senate, participated in a debate sponsored by the Missouri Press Association. They were joined on stage by Green Party candidate Nathan Kline and Jared Young, who filed to form the Better Party as a name for his endeavor.
Kline said the U.S. involvement in Ukraine is an example of how corporate interests are driving the country into war and how the policies of both the Democratic and Republican parties have failed.
“The devastating war in Ukraine is a perfect example of how the blue and red teams are working hand in hand toward doomsday,” Kline said.
Continued assistance to strengthen Ukraine is critical to U.S. national security, Young said.
“Russia, China and Iran pose a serious threat to our country,” he said. “They are actively working to undermine the world order that has served us so well over the last 60 or 70 years. And to counter that, we must take a strong stance.”
The debate was not televised but streamed online. Hawley and Kunce have agreed to a television debate without the other two candidates on October 31.
Throughout the debate, Hawley pressed Kunce to say which presidential candidate he supports – Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, or former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. Kunce did not respond.
Kunce sought to damage Hawley by associating him with anti-abortion groups, which include opposing protections for assisted reproduction and supporting Missouri’s near-total ban on abortion.
“It’s Josh Hawley’s abortion ban,” Kunce said. “He wants to ban all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.”
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Kunce said he supported Amendment 3, which Restoring Abortion Rights in MissouriHawley said he was against it, claiming one of the reasons Kunce supports it is to repeal a Missouri law that bans gender-affirming medical treatments for children.
“Lucas Kunce and his allies talk about reproductive health, but in reality it allows transgender surgeries without parental consent,” Hawley said.
This characterization of both his position and the amendment is wrong, Kunce said.
“He sees mandatory gender reassignment surgeries on every corner because he thinks he can incite people that way and actually win the election,” Kunce said.
Kunce is the most well-funded Democrat running nationwide this year, but he is bucking a trend that has seen every statewide Democratic candidate lose since 2018. Kunce has spent $4.3 million on television ads — more than he had on hand as of June 30 — that have been running since late July.
It has spent less on ads in recent weeks, and next week’s spending will be half what it was this week and a third of what it was two weeks ago, according to analysis by the Independent.
In an interview, Kunce said he would step up his efforts as the elections approached after introducing himself to the state in the first phase.
Hawley’s campaign has spent about $2.8 million on television advertising, and an independent PAC supporting his re-election, Show Me Strong, has spent about $1.5 million.
The SLU/YouGov survey in August showed Hawley with a double-digit leada margin that has not changed despite the television offensive.
Young is the best-funded independent candidate in many years, but the $900,000 he raised was not spent on television ads. Instead, Young said in a post-debate interview, he is focusing on digital platforms and other ways to stretch his money.
“We knew from the beginning that no one was really paying attention until the last two months, and now we see the momentum building,” Young said.
Kline, of Kansas City, works for the city’s planning and development department.
The candidates also addressed immigration, with Hawley accusing Kunce of supporting “paying for welfare and Medicare to immigrants.”
Kunce said Hawley lied about his views. He supports a bill that was rejected in the U.S. Senate that would increase border patrols and limit the number of people entering the country each day.
“The sad thing is that Josh Hawley voted against our security,” Kunce said, “because he wants to keep it as a campaign issue instead of dealing with the disaster we are experiencing.”
