FIRST ON FOX: A Democratic candidate is facing criticism from his GOP opponent in a new radio ad after he declined on multiple occasions to endorse VP Kamala Harris as he runs to represent his deep red state in the U.S. Senate.

“I didn’t join the race to decide who the president is or to tell other people how to decide to vote for the president,” Missouri Senate candidate Lucas Kunce told NBC’s Kristen Welker last week when asked if he would be endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket. 

Kunce, who declined multiple times to endorse Harris when pressed by Welker in the interview, is now the subject of a minute-long radio ad in Missouri from GOP Sen. Josh Hawley that will run this week, mocking Kunce for not standing by the nominee of his own party.

“People are excited about voting for Kamala Harris,” a woman says to another woman in the radio ad, which is running on statewide African American radio. “But not this guy Lucas Kunce.”

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“He says he’s a Democrat, but get this, Lucas Kunce is scared to admit he’s voting for Kamala Harris,” the woman says. 

“Wait, Lucas Kunce is not voting for Kamala Harris?” another woman responds.

“He’s too scared to answer the question. The press asked him not once, not twice, not three times, but four different times,” the ad continues. “What is Lucas Kunce afraid of? Kunce comes into our community asking us for our vote, but he won’t tell us about his vote.”

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Sen. Josh Hawley  (screencap from Forbes footage)

The ad continues, “It’s weak. It’s unacceptable. I don’t agree with Josh Hawley a lot. But, you always know where he stands. You sure do.”

Kunce has previously declined to endorse Harris, including in a recent debate, which Hawley has focused on in social media posts.

“So ⁦@LucasKunceMO⁩ won’t endorse Kamala Harris,” Hawley posted on X. “Why not? Is he embarrassed of her for some reason? Is he supporting ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩?”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kunce campaign manager Caleb Cavarretta said, “Josh Hawley might wish he was Donald Trump or that he was the one running for president, but he isn’t. Lucas Kunce has been clear that this race is about who will better deliver for Missourians and protect their freedom in the U.S. Senate: Him or Hawley.”

Missouri Senate candidate Lucas Kunce (Courtesy of Lucas Kunce for Senate)

Hawley won the Senate race in Missouri by six points in 2018 and recent polling shows him leading by roughly 10 points in the race with just over 40 days left until the election.

There may not be a team heading into the MLB playoffs that anyone wants to face less than the Detroit Tigers.

They are red hot, crashing the American League postseason picture with a torrid pace that began back at the start of July. Not even the temperatures dropping have been able to cool off the Tigers, who are in a tie with the Kansas City Royals for the second wild card spot.

Two games clear of the Minnesota Twins with four to play, Detroit is in a great spot. After completing their series against the Tampa Bay Rays, they will face the lowly Chicago White Sox for three to finish out the regular season.

Odds are certainly in their favor for qualifying for the 2024 MLB Playoffs.

Who has helped them get to this point? Ace starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is probably the only household name that casual baseball fans recognize.

A heavy favorite to win the Cy Young Award this season, he has been anchoring the pitching staff all year. A bonafide star, he gives the team a chance to win every time he steps on the mound.

But, he has received some help during this incredible run. In the lineup, the Tigers have several players who will become well-known in October.

MLB insider Jeff Passan highlighted some of them in a “Who are some under-the-radar players with industry buzz as potential October stars?” category of a recent piece over at ESPN.

“Riley Greene is the best player on the resurgent Detroit Tigers, and Kerry Carpenter is their best hitter, but two other left-handed bats in a quite-lefty-heavy lineup are making excellent impressions during this late surge. Center fielder Parker Meadows and shortstop Trey Sweeney have won everyday jobs and are doing enough offensively and defensively to keep them. Meadows struggled early and was hurt, and Sweeney came over along with Thayron Liranzo in the deadline deal for Jack Flaherty. Meadows returned Aug. 3, Sweeney arrived Aug. 16, and the Tigers are 23-9 in games they both played,” Passan wrote.

No one expected Detroit to be in this position, as their playoff odds were under 1.0 percent at one point. They would become only the fifth team in MLB history to make the playoffs after facing a double-digit deficit at least 115 games into the season.

The emergence of their young hitters has certainly helped. They are using speed and athleticism to make up for their lack of power, as they are in the bottom half of baseball in most batting categories outside of triples.

With all of the positive momentum in the world, this is a team peaking at the right time. They are going to give whoever they face off against a tough challenge even if they are presumed heavy underdogs entering the postseason.

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Board of School Directors on Thursday announced the start of its search for a new Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent.

The board is scheduled to receive an update from Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates – the search firm leading the effort – at a Thursday night meeting. In collaboration with HYA, the school board said it is organizing “stakeholder engagement sessions” to gather input from the community.

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Details about those engagement sessions will be available on the MPS website next week. The sessions will include:

• Group Forums: Open forums will be held to allow community members to share their thoughts and expectations for the new superintendent.
• One-on-One Conversations: HYA representatives will engage in individual discussions with local leaders to gather detailed insights.
• Community Sessions: Dedicated sessions will be organized to hear from different community groups, ensuring broad representation.
• Zoom Opportunities: Several virtual sessions will be available to provide feedback, making it convenient for all stakeholders to participate.
• Online Survey: An online survey will be launched to collect input from those who may not be able to attend the sessions in person.

The former superintendent, Keith Posley, resigned in June after it was revealed the district failed to report important financial data to the state. The state threatened to withhold millions of dollars in funding as a result.

In July, the school board voted to appoint Eduardo Galvan as MPS’ interim superintendent.