Lucas Kunce is an attorney and director of the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP) who is set to contest the Democratic Party primaries for the United States Senate on August 2. A U.S. Marine with 15 years of experience, Kunce had first announced his decision to contest for the Senate after the retirement announcement by former Senator, Republican Roy Blunt. Kunce’s chief opponents in the Democratic primaries are likely to be Trudy Busch Valentine, a beer baroness and former nurse, and Spencer Toder, an entrepreneur.

A Missouri native who grew up in Jefferson City, Kunce is a Yale University graduate who went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri School of Law.

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Kunce’s first tryst with the U.S. elections was in 2006, when, still in law school, he contested for the Missouri State House seat for District 113. However, the former International Negotiations Officer on the Joint Staff of the
Pentagon was defeated by the Republican incumbent, Mark Bruns.

Kunce has lived through severe financial distress while growing up, with his family even going bankrupt due to massive hospital bills for the treatment of his sister, who had serious cardiac issues. In an interview with the American Prospect, Kunce said that the way people helped his family during his growing up years made him realize that people should hold the ultimate power in America. He said, “I remember sitting in our living room and watching more lasagna and casserole roll through our front door than we could ever eat when we needed it. I remember people down at my mom’s prayer group raising money for us.”

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Kunce has openly voiced his displeasure at candidates who seek corporate funding, and said that he will never accept the same.

While the primaries for Missouri, Kansas, Washington, Michigan, Arizona, and Ohio are set to be held on August 2, 2022, the mid-terms are slated for November 8.