Lucas Tyree Kunce ( ; born October 6, 1982) is an American attorney, Marine veteran, and politician. He was the Democratic nominee for the 2024 United States Senate election in Missouri, losing to Republican incumbent Josh Hawley.
Before entering politics, Kunce was in the United States Marine Corps. He served a tour in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan, during which he deployed on special-operations task forces and worked with security services. After returning to the U.S., he joined the Joint Staff of the Pentagon, where he represented the U.S. in arms control negotiations with Russia and NATO. In 2020, he joined the American Economic Liberties Project, where he is the director of national security. As of 2025, he manages a hybrid PAC called Heartland Patriots and has stated he will return to active duty in the Marine Corps.
Early life and education Kunce was born in Hartsburg, Missouri, and grew up in Jefferson City in a working-class family. His 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. His family faced financial struggles as a result, eventually going bankrupt.
Kunce graduated from Jefferson City High School in 2000 as valedictorian and class president. He then attended Yale University on a Pell Grant, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical civilization. He 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. Kunce graduated from Yale in 2004, and obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri School of Law. He was admitted to the Missouri Bar on September 12, 2007. In 2016, he received a Master of Laws degree from Columbia Law School.
Early career
2006 Missouri House campaign In 2006, while attending law school at the University of Missouri, Kunce ran for the Missouri House of Representatives seat for District 113. He received 44% of the vote, losing to the Republican incumbent, Mark Bruns.
Military service In 2007, Kunce joined the United States Marine Corps as a judge-advocate (military lawyer) in the Judge Advocate division.Zitner, Aaron. "Race to Watch: Will Missouri GOP Voters Support Former Gov. Eric Greitens for Senate?" , The Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023. He 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, Kunce was exposed to toxic burn pits at Al Taqaddum Airbase.
After returning to the U.S., Kunce served as the International Negotiations Officer on the Joint Staff of the Pentagon, where he represented the U.S. in arms control negotiations with Russia and NATO. He joined the Council on Foreign Relations in June 2017. In 2019 he wrote an opinion article for The New York Times.
After 13 years in the Marines, Kunce joined the American Economic Liberties Project as director of national security in August 2020."Missouri Democrat Lucas Kunce announces U.S. Senate campaign" , Ozark Radio News website, March 9, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022. He continues to serve in the United States Marine Corps Reserve with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
U.S. Senate campaigns 2022
On March 9, 2021, the day after U.S. Senator Roy Blunt announced he would not seek reelection in 2022, Kunce announced his candidacy for the open seat. He was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and VoteVets. As of December 31, 2021, Kunce had raised $2.48 million, the most of any candidate for the seat. He said he did not accept corporate campaign donations. Throughout his campaign, he emphasized his outsider status, advertising both his lack of political experience and poorer upbringing.
In March 2022, Kunce reported that his campaign's Independence office was burgled, with "tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment and other resources" reported missing. In July, his campaign mailed a cease-and-desist letter to primary opponent Trudy Busch Valentine for allegedly airing advertisements "containing these deliberate lies with actual malice toward Mr. Kunce in an effort to deceive Missouri voters".
Kunce lost the August 2 Democratic primary to Valentine by a margin of 5%.
2024
On January 6, 2023, Kunce announced his second run for U.S. Senate in a bid to unseat one-term incumbent Josh Hawley.On Capitol attack anniversary, challenge of Hawley announced By Jim Salter, The Associated Press, January 6, 2023 He defeated State Senator Karla May, December L. Harmon, and Mita Biswas in the August 6 Democratic primary. He was endorsed by Reproductive Freedom for All, VoteVets, Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, End Citizens United, and Missouri AFL-CIO.
Kunce attended a Missouri Press Association debate alongside Hawley and other minor candidates on September 20. A second debate, hosted by Nexstar Media Group, was held on October 31. Kunce failed to unseat Hawley, losing the election by 14%.
Political positions Kunce is described as a progressive politician. He has voiced his support for "repealing or revising" Section 230. Kunce has said that he would have voted for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and For the People Act. He supports public Social Security. He opposes the death penalty.
Abortion Kunce supports abortion rights, including 2024 Missouri Amendment 3. In June 2022, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, he voiced his support for codifying access to abortion in federal law. Later, he suggested that the Democrat-majority Senate should abolish the filibuster to accomplish this. Kunce supports the Women's Health Protection Act, which encourages more access to abortion. He supports making abortion free under a universal health care system and wants to repeal the Hyde Amendment.
Agriculture 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. In an opinion article for The Joplin Globe, he voiced opposition to a National Animal Identification System, claiming it was written to "line the pockets of Big Ag while screwing independent farmers".
Campaign finance Kunce says he does not accept corporate campaign donations. He 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. He has voiced his support for banning members of Congress from owning stock, including blind trusts. He has also supported banning defense contractors and family members of sitting members of Congress from serving as lobbyists.
Drug policy Kunce has condemned the war on drugs, citing the taxpayer cost, high number of arrests for nonviolent offenses, and disproportionate impact on Black Americans. He has said he would push to legalize cannabis nationwide and reassess related convictions.
Energy and environment In an opinion article for The American Prospect, Kunce voiced his support for a rapid decarbonization plan costing $4.5 trillion, completely ending the use of fossil fuels in the energy and transportation sectors. He said the primary motivation for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was to secure their oil supplies and that ending U.S. reliance on fossil fuels would reduce military intervention. He also said the plan would help limit the impact of climate change. As a temporary means of becoming energy independent, he has suggested that he would support U.S. oil production for domestic use. He has said that he would have voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Kunce's candidacy was endorsed by the environmental advocacy organization League of Conservation Voters.
Foreign policy 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. He has condemned U.S. military nation-building campaigns in foreign countries such as Afghanistan, and advocated reducing military funding in favor of domestic development. He has said he did not support the 2003 invasion of Iraq and that the U.S. 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. He has called on the U.S. to "recruit and welcome" immigrants from all countries. He opposes U.S.-based businesses offshoring manufacturing and foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land.
Kunce supports attracting educated immigrants to the U.S. to attract wealth and benefit the creation of new industries. He supports the 2024 bipartisan border bill in the U.S. Senate written by Republican James Lankford and Democrat Chris Murphy. He has said building up the Mexico–United States border wall is the "least effective thing" to reduce illegal immigration.
Afghanistan After joining the Marine Corps in 2007, Kunce served two tours in Afghanistan. In an interview with The American Prospect, he said the U.S. "should have left in 2002 or 2003 instead of trying to build [Afghanistan] up for 20 years." He has said the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was "inevitable from the very beginning" and blamed defense contractors, corrupt Afghan commanders, and U.S. politicians who "used the war to get into office" for prolonging the conflict. He has suggested that he supports opening diplomatic relations with the Taliban.
China In an opinion article for The American Prospect, Kunce said he recognized China as a serious "economic challenge" and that it was "hacking [American] dedication to self-interest", citing a 1996 deal between the U.S.-based Loral Space & Communications and the Chinese state-owned Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation that quickened the development of Chinese missile equipment in violation of the Arms Export Control Act as an early example of the issue. As other examples, he cited and condemned the 2001 Chinese accession into the World Trade Organization and the 2012 acquisition of AMC Theatres by Chinese-based Wanda Group. He has said that the U.S. relies too much on Chinese manufacturing, and that large U.S. companies are too subservient to Chinese interests. He has condemned American universities for accepting Chinese students funded by the People's Liberation Army, saying students use their time in the U.S. to study emerging tech and then take their research back to the PLA, but has also suggested that the U.S. more intentionally recruit Chinese students and workers in the U.S. into long-term work in U.S.-based industries and help them become citizens.