Missouri’s Senate race proves crowded as candidates begin filing

BY CONNOR GIFFIN

Missouri News Network

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s race for U.S. Senate proved packed and competitive Tuesday, the opening day for candidate filing.

As of 5 p.m., 15 Republicans and eight Democrats had filed for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican.

Some of the Senate hopefuls sought to stand out from the crowd.

“I call myself the Energizer turtle,” said U.S. Rep. Billy Long, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, as he stood in the filing line. “I don’t move fast, but I never quit moving.”

Long, who is from Springfield, said besides working toward a Republican majority in the Senate, he’s running on a platform for rural broadband expansion and border security and against critical race theory and defunding law enforcement.

Like much of his Republican competition, Long has worked to align himself with Donald Trump, though the former president has yet to officially endorse a candidate in Missouri’s race.

However, Missouri’s other U.S. senator, Republican Josh Hawley, has made an endorsement in the race. Last week, he threw his support behind Vicky Hartzler, who currently represents Missouri’s 4th District in Congress. Hartzler, of Harrisonville, filed for the Senate race on Tuesday.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who made headlines last year when they pointed guns at racial injustice protesters outside their home in St. Louis, were near the front of the filing line Tuesday morning, before filing had even opened.

Mark McCloskey boasted that, unlike his competitors for Senate, he hasn’t spent his years in lawmaking.

“If you’d like to see somebody stand up and actually fight,” he said, “then maybe you ought to give somebody who’s not a career politician a chance.”

McCloskey was the first to file for the Senate race Tuesday. Former Gov. Eric Greitens was also quick to the punch, filing less than 20 minutes into the process.

They were followed by Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan. Schatz has been battling the Senate Conservative Caucus over congressional redistricting.

As tensions rise among Republican candidates, Lucas Kunce has taken a lead among Democrats with formidable funding. Between December 2020 and December 2021, Kunce raised about $2.46 million in individual contributions, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Kunce, a Jefferson City native and Marine veteran, told a cluster of journalists that his campaign has refused contributions from corporate interests.

“No money from any of the people who have been paying off, buying off our politicians, and stripping our communities for parts,” he said.