Hawley, Kunce visit with KCTV5 as race for US Senate seat heats up

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - From the moment the polls closed in August, the race for Missouri’s U.S. Senate has been contentious.

As we head into the last leg of the race, the gloves are off between incumbent Republican Senator Josh Hawley and opponent Democrat Lucas Kunce. Aside from the campaign ads taking over our airwaves, KCTV5 wanted to get a real take on where these candidates stand before you cast your vote.

KCTV5 met with both candidates to see what they have to say on some of the issues most important to Kansas Citians.

Kunce agreed to a sit-down interview at KCTV5 studios. We extended the same invite to Hawley, but only Kunce agreed to the sit-down. We caught up with Hawley on the campaign trail.

Both candidates were presented with the same questions, beginning with abortion. Amendment 3 is one of the top issues on the Missouri ballot.

ALSO READ: ELECTION GUIDE: What Missouri, Kansas voters need to know before heading to the polls

KCTV5: What do you want voters to know about where you stand on abortion?

Hawley: “First of all, it’s the right thing to have voters be able to vote on this issue, this should not be an issue for judges it should be an issue for voters. Listen, I’m pro-life. I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.”

Kunce: “As U.S. Senator, I’m going to codify Roe vs. Wade, I think people are smart enough to make their own decisions in their lives. If you want to get invitro fertilization, take care of that, contraception and abortion if you need it – it should be up to the family and their doctor.”

ALSO READ: For Christians, support of Missouri’s abortion ballot question is split

Kansas City’s crime rate remains as one of the highest in the nation. According to crime analysis from data experts at Neighborhood Scout, the chance of becoming a victim of crime in Kansas City is 1 in 67, making the city one of the most dangerous in the country.

KCTV5: What do you see as a solution to the problem?

Kunce: “So you know, we’ve defunded education, we’ve defunded all sorts of programs, we’ve opened up the border let fentanyl come through like crazy, just creates all sorts of other problems along with it. And it’s just like, we’ve got to make these investments for keeping ourselves safe, we need to fully fund police, and we need to invest in communities before it gets to crime.”

Hawley: “We’ve got to continue to support our police. We need to pass my legislation to give every cop in Missouri a pay raise and to hire more cops. I’ve introduced legislation to put 100,000 more cops on the streets. I think that is common sense.”

The U.S.-Mexico border was a big topic for both candidates. Kunce and Hawley agreed there is a border crisis.

KCTV5: If elected, what would you do at the Senate level?

Hawley: “If you’re asking me what my position is on this, I am for closing the border. I want it closed. We’ve had too many deaths in Missouri, we’ve had too much crime in Missouri, we have too many drugs in Missouri—from the border, across the border—we just can’t afford that.”

Kunce: “It’s actually pretty simple right? We got to have fentanyl scanners, we got to stop the flow of fentanyl. The guy I’m running against—Josh Hawley—voted against fentanyl scanners. We’ve got to fully fund and equip the Border Patrol. So yes, the border’s a wreck. There are simple solutions and we’re not doing them.”

From non-citizen voters to delayed mail and more, votes in jeopardy is a constant headline.

KCTV5: Is election integrity a concern?

Kunce: “No I think most people in Missouri sound like they’re going to get out and vote, I feel like their votes are going to get counted so I’m excited about that.”

Hawley: “I’m glad you mentioned this—I sure do, I sure do. Migrant workers who are here as citizens cannot vote under federal law trying to register to vote. That’s just illegal and I’m glad to see the secretary of state in the state doing something about that.”

ALSO READ: What’s in your wallet? Missouri voter ID law won’t accept out-of-state licenses

As the incumbent, Hawley has a clear advantage going into Election Day. Polls have also shown that with Kunce trailing Hawley.

While Hawley and Kunce are the big names facing off, when voters get their ballot, they will see three other names.

Nathan Kline with the Green Party, W.C. Young with the Libertarian Party and Jared Young from what’s listed as The Better Party.

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.