Hawley and Kunce exchange views on guns and abortion in US Senate debate in Missouri

Incumbent Republican Josh Hawley and Democrat Lucas Kunce continued their combative race for the U.S. Senate on Thursday with their final debate before Election Day.

The Halloween night debate came hours after St. Louis actor Jon Hamm was in town to steamroll for Kunce — another example of how the Hawley-Kunce matchup is drawing attention from high-profile entertainers and athletes.

Hawley and Kunce are organizing what many consider this year’s most competitive statewide election in Missouri. Despite Hawley’s position, Kunce has raised more money. And Hawley has predicted that the race could be more competitive than outside observers think.

During the Kunce-Hawley campaign, the candidates launched blistering attacks on each other in speeches, advertisements and even during a memorable showdown at the Missouri State Fair. And there was also some saving at the debate hosted by Missouri’s NextStar stations at KTVI studios in St. Louis.

After being asked how policy differences have often turned into personal attacks, Kunce said: “What we have seen in our politics is an absolute degradation, and I think the reason we have that is because we don’t have people who are committed to service no more.”

“We have swamp creatures all over DC. Josh Hawley is a swamp creature,” Kunce said before noting that Hawley had a number of jobs in Washington DC when he graduated. “When you come from a background like that, it’s no wonder you just sit in all the hate and vitriol and do nothing but attack the other side and achieve nothing.”

Asked to respond to Kunce’s comments, Hawley responded: “I think if this is my opponent’s attempt to unite the country, we may have a long way to go.”

Hawley Than urged Kunce to address President Joe Biden’s recent comments calling Trump supporters “trash.” Biden later said he was talking about a comedian at one Trump rally calling Puerto Rico “an island of trash.”

“I think it’s critical that we treat our opponents with respect, that we don’t call them trash, that we don’t use this kind of rhetoric that, quite frankly, has incited violence,” Hawley said.

Disagreements over guns and abortion

The debate covered a wide range of topics, including immigration, gun control, abortion rights and energy.

On a question about guns, Kunce said that while he supported the Second Amendment, he also supported so-called “red flag” laws that would establish a legal process to remove firearms from people who might pose a threat to themselves or others. He said the country “needs an age limit or some kind of training that goes along with children getting guns.”

“As a Marine, I know you don’t just give an 18-year-old a gun and a bunch of ammo,” Kunce said. “You teach them gun safety rules, you teach them how to shoot. You make sure they are responsible.”

Hawley brought up a recent event in which Kunce and former Illinois U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger saw a metal fragment hit a television reporter in the arm after a shooting. Hawley said, “His incident last week may have convinced me that gun control might be necessary for him, but not for other law-abiding citizens in this state.”

After stating that he opposes abortion except in cases involving rape, incest or the life of the mother, Hawley said he will not vote for Amendment 3 — which would legalize abortion until the viability of the fetus. He then repeated the claim that the measure would legalize gender transition surgery for minors.

“Amendment 3 goes far beyond what I just said. Amendment 3 goes far beyond abortion,” Hawley said.

Proponents of Amendment 3 have pushed back against Hawley’s arguments, noting that not all gender transition surgery affects reproduction and that there is nothing explicit in the measure to legalize that procedure. Kunce said Hawley “sees gender reassignment surgery around every corner – it’s ridiculous.”

‘Do you want a man who can’t shoot straight? It’s this guy right here,” Kunce said of Hawley.

Hamm stumps for Kunce in St. Louis

Before the debate, Hamm attended a meeting at Delmar Hall for Kunce. He said in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio that he helped Kunce because of what he described as Hawley’s lackluster record in the U.S. Senate.

“Look at the last six years of representation in the United States Senate, and what have you learned from it,” Hamm said. “Because the answer is nothing.”

Hamm’s visit comes a few weeks after Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker toured the state with Hawley.

“We need to preserve so many of the traditional values in this country that seem to have been washed away,” Butker said during his visit to St. Charles County. “So I try to use my platform to stand up for conservative values.”