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Lucas Kunce

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Lucas Kunce
Personal details
Born Lucas Tyree Kunce
October 6, 1982(1982-10-06) (age 42)
Political party Democratic
Children 2
Alma mater
  • Yale University (BA)
  • University of Missouri (JD)
  • Columbia Law School (LLM)
Occupation
  • Attorney
  • political commentator
  • writer
Website Official campaign website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service/branch Flag of the United States United States Marines
Years of service 2007-2020 (active)
2020-present (reserve)
Unit Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command Seal United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command
Marine Forces Reserve insignia (transparent background) United States Marine Corps Reserve
Battles/wars Iraq War
War in Afghanistan

Lucas Tyree Kunce (pronounced /kuːnse/)[1] (born October 6, 1982) is a U.S. Marine veteran from Missouri. He works as an attorney, political commentator, and as the Director of National Security at the American Economic Liberties Project.[2] On March 9, 2021, he announced his campaign for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Missouri, the day after Senator Roy Blunt announced his retirement.[2]

Early life and education[]

Kunce grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri. 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.[3] His family faced financial struggles as a result, eventually going bankrupt, but was able to hold together with assistance from friends and their community. The contrast between the financial burdens due to medical bills and the help his family received from the community led him to reject "massive corporations" and the "elites," playing a role in his weighted focus on economic issues in his campaign.[4]

Kunce graduated from Jefferson City High School in 2000.[5] He went on to attend Yale University on a Pell grant, obtaining a bachelor's in classical civilization.[5][6] In 2003, Kunce became the first male cheerleader on the latest incarnation of the Yale team.[3][Clarification needed] Kunce graduated from Yale in 2004, and obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri.[5][6] He was admitted to The Missouri Bar on September 12, 2007.[7]

In 2016, he received a Master of Laws degree from Columbia Law School.[8]

2006 Missouri House campaign[]

In 2006, while pursuing his law degree at the University of Missouri, Kunce ran for the Missouri State House seat for District 113, but was defeated by the Republican incumbent Mark Bruns, with Kunce earning 44% of the vote.[9][10]

Military career[]

In 2007, Kunce joined the United States Marine Corps and became a lawyer in the Judge Advocate Division. He served a tour in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan.[11] After returning to the United States, he served as the International Negotiations Officer on the Joint Staff of the Pentagon, where he represented the U.S. in arms negotiations with Russia and NATO.[12][13] He joined the Council on Foreign Relations in June 2017.[14]

Kunce left active duty in 2020, joining the American Economic Liberties Project as their Director of National Security. He continues to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve.[15]

2022 U.S. Senate campaign[]

Kunce announced his run for the open U.S. Senate seat after incumbent Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) announced he would not be seeking re-election in 2022.[6] His candidacy has received endorsement from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and VoteVets.[16] As of September 30, Kunce has raised $1,745,045, the highest total for Democratic candidates in the race and second overall.[17] Nearly $840,000 was raised during the third quarter (July to September).[18] He claims to not accept corporate campaign donations.[9]

Personal life[]

Kunce resides in Independence, Missouri.[19] He is a divorced father of two children.[15]

References[]

  1. ↑ "Meet Marine Veteran Lucas Kunce, a populist running for U.S. Senate" (in en). https://lucaskunce.com/meet-lucas/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Lucas Kunce announces run for vacant Missouri U.S. Senate seat in 2022" (in en-US). 2021-03-09. https://fox4kc.com/news/lucas-kunce-announces-run-for-vacant-missouri-u-s-senate-seat-in-2022/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mirkinson, Jack (2006-10-02). "Kunce ’04 runs for office in Missouri" (in en). https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2006/10/02/kunce-04-runs-for-office-in-missouri/. 
  4. ↑ Kuttner, Robert (2021-08-27). "Lucas Kunce Speaks on the Afghanistan Catastrophe" (in en-us). https://prospect.org/api/content/980d7548-06cb-11ec-be63-1244d5f7c7c6/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Suntrup, Jack. "U.S. Senate candidate claims D.C. tax credit, didn’t vote in Missouri in 2018 or 2020" (in en). https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/u-s-senate-candidate-claims-d-c-tax-credit-didn-t-vote-in-missouri-in/article_7c26b133-8736-556e-a1a2-766cc9d90649.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Axelrod, Tal (2021-03-09). "Democratic Marine veteran jumps into Missouri Senate race after Blunt retirement" (in en). https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/542409-democratic-marine-veteran-jumps-into-missouri-senate-race-after-blunt. 
  7. ↑ "Lawyer Directory Detail". https://mobar.org/site/content/For-the-Public/Lawyer_Directory_Detail.aspx?ID=e08046db-d0a7-4feb-a62b-fbb0e18f5293. 
  8. ↑ "Class of 2016" (in en). https://web.law.columbia.edu/graduation/2016/graduates/degree-candidates. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Top fundraiser in Missouri Senate race last quarter was Democrat Lucas Kunce" (in en). 2021-10-24. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2021-10-24/top-fundraiser-in-missouri-senate-race-last-quarter-was-democrat-lucas-kunce. 
  10. ↑ "2006 Missouri General Election Results". https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionResultsStatistics/AllRacesGeneralNovember2006.pdf. 
  11. ↑ "Marine Veteran Launches Missouri Senate Bid After Roy Blunt Retirement" (in en). 2021-03-09. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrat-lucas-kunce-veteran-roy-blunt-senate-seat_n_6046f10fc5b64433749edb9f. 
  12. ↑ "Marine veteran Lucas Kunce launches Missouri Senate bid after Roy Blunt retirement" (in en). 2021-03-10. https://www.kmbc.com/article/commitment-2022-marine-veteran-lucas-kunce-launches-missouri-senate-bid-after-roy-blunt-retirement/35795967. 
  13. ↑ "Lucas Kunce" (in en-US). https://www.economicliberties.us/lucas-kunce/. 
  14. ↑ "Council on Foreign Relations" (in en). https://www.cfr.org/membership/roster. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Gilsinan, Kathy. "The Populist, Millennial Veteran Who Wants to Turn Missouri Blue" (in en). https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/11/24/lucas-kunce-missouri-populist-democrat-521862. 
  16. ↑ Desrochers, Daniel (2021-09-13). "Lucas Kunce’s military record got him on TV. Can it make him Missouri’s next senator?". McClatchy DC Bureau. https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article254072703.html. 
  17. ↑ "Missouri Senate 2022 Race" (in en). https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2022&id=MOS1. 
  18. ↑ https://www.washingtontimes.com,+The Washington Times. "‘Real message’: Democrat Lucas Kunce’s populist talk gains traction in U.S. Senate race in Missouri" (in en-US). https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/nov/29/democrat-lucas-kunce-hauls-campaign-cash-hones-pop/. 
  19. ↑ Kuang, Jeanne (2021-11-03). "Missouri Democratic Senate candidates pitch paths to victory with ‘persuadable’ voters". The Kansas City Star. https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article255533231.html. 


External links[]

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