U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, left, is sparring with his Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce, right, over the timing and format of debates in their U.S. Senate race. (phots by Drew Angerer/Getty Images and Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent).

The question of when – or whether – Missouri’s U.S. Senate candidates will debate opened up the fall campaign, with incumbent Republican Josh Hawley challenging Democratic nominee Lucas Kunce to an outdoor clash without moderators and Kunce calling for five televised events.

Kunce, who is making his second run for the Senate, easily won the Democratic primary on Tuesday, while Hawley was unopposed for a second term as the Republican nominee. There will be an independent candidate, Jared Young, on the ballot under the Better Party label, as well as Libertarian W.C. Young.

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In a social media post right after the Democratic primary was called for Kunce, Hawley called on his Democratic rival  to meet him Aug. 15 after the Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair. 

“No fancy studio or moderators,” Hawley wrote. “Just the two of us on a trailer. Lincoln-Douglas style. I’ll bring the trailer. I’ll even let Kunce go first.”

Kunce did not accept the challenge but he did not refute it, either. In a response, Kunce called on Hawley to accept a debate invitation from Fox News and commit to five televised debates in all.

Connor Lounsbury, a senior adviser to Kunce’s campaign, said there is only one condition for Kunce to debate – that it be televised.

“We’re fine being on a trailer,” Lounsbury said. “Let’s just make sure a TV station can capture it.”

On Wednesday, Kunce publicly accepted an invitation from KSDK in St. Louis and KSHB in Kansas City for a moderated debate at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at the fairgrounds in Sedalia. He also agreed to participate in two debates sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Missouri in partnership with Gray Media, owner of television stations in Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis and Quincy, Ill.

Lounsbury said Kunce intends to take part in the debate being staged Sept. 20 by the Missouri Press Association at its annual convention in Springfield.

The press association traditionally invites all candidates who will be on the ballot but whether any of the televised debates will include candidates other than Hawley or Kunce is uncertain. The League of Women Voters news release about the invitation states that it was sent to candidates “who won the August primary and received more than 100,000 votes.”

W.C. Young received only 2,421 votes. Jared Young is on the ballot after petitioning to form a new party and loaning his campaign $765,000 and raising another $164,000.

But his totals are only a fraction of what both Kunce and Hawley have raised. Kunce has raised $11.2 million since launching his campaign early last year, more than Hawley has raised since the start of 2023. Banked funds from earlier years gave Hawley the edge in available cash at the last report, $5.7 million to $4.2 million on hand for Kunce.

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Kunce was the first candidate at any level in Missouri to buy air time for the November election. On Tuesday, his campaign spent $100,000 for a week’s worth of ads in the Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield markets. That is in addition to $265,000 in ads during the final week of the primary.

Hawley responded with ad purchases Wednesday in central Missouri, Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield. The total was not available Thursday morning.

The KSDK/KSHB offer had a 7 p.m. Wednesday deadline for acceptance, Alicia Elsner, general manager of KSDK wrote to the Hawley and Kunce campaigns. The stations needed the time to make scheduling changes and promote the debate, she wrote.

Kunce sent his acceptance, Elsner said in response to an email from The Independent. Hawley had not yet sent a response as of 7:45 p.m., she said.

“I remain hopeful both candidates will accept by tomorrow morning,” Elsner said.

At his general election kickoff event in Ozark, Hawley accused Kunce of being afraid to debate outside a television studio without moderators.

The State Fair debate would be with “no fancy studios, no moderators, just you and me, man, mano-a-mano, Lincoln-Douglas style,” Hawley said.

The Lincoln-Douglas debates are among the most consequential events of the years immediately preceding the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, a one-term former congressman representing the new Republican Party, debated U.S. Sen. Stephen Douglas, a Democrat, on seven occasions in 1858 as they contested Douglas’ Illinois Senate seat.

One of the candidates would open with a one-hour speech, followed by 90 minutes for the opponent and concluding with 30 minutes more for the candidate who went first.

Lincoln lost but the election made him a national figure and helped propel him to the presidency two years later.

Hawley, in Ozark, said Kunce’s record is “nutty” and he can’t cope with an in-depth discussion.

“Come defend it in front of the people of Missouri,” Hawley said. “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. Don’t hide behind the cameras.”

Kunce isn’t afraid, Lounsbury said. He just wants to debate in a format where voters statewide can see it, he said. 

The KSDK/KSHB offer can achieve that and what Hawley wants – a debate before a State Fair audience, Lounsbury said.

“Hawley gets the location he wants and if he wants to do it on a flatbed, have at it,” Lounsbury said.

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