Candidates for Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat answered questions at a Missouri Press Association forum in Springfield Friday. Republican incumbent Senator Josh Hawley showed up even though he hadn’t confirmed he would be there. He took verbal jabs at his Democratic opponent Lucas Kunce, calling him and his ideas “nutty,” and kept insisting that Kunce answer the question “who will you vote for on election day?”
Rebuttal time was allowed for candidates who were targets of criticism, and it was used often.
When the candidates were asked if they would support federal legislation to establish a nationwide right to abortion or limits on when abortions can be performed or if that should be decided solely by states, Kunce said Missourians are “smart enough to make their own decisions about how they live their lives, how they build and protect their families." He promised to codify Roe v Wade and said there needs to be exceptions for rape and incest. He also pledged to protect in vitro fertilization and contraception.
Hawley said he doesn’t support a nationwide ban on abortions, but he does support “reasonable restrictions," including “partial birth abortions.”
Green Party candidate Nathan Kline said he isn't "pro abortion," but he believes women have the right to be in charge of their own bodies.
Independent candidate Jared Young said he's pro-life and that "every abortion is a tragedy," but that the pro-life movement "does itself a disservice by taking uncompromising all-or-nothing positions." He said the U.S. needs "to find a place where we're preventing as many abortions as possible, but we're still leaving room for compromise."
When the candidates were asked what they think Congress can realistically do to help manage the flow of immigrants at the U.S. southern border, Kunce said the flow of fentanyl must be stopped. He said the U.S. needs to fully fund the border patrol and end catch and release.
Hawley said the U.S. needs to close the border, reinstate the Remain in Mexico program and third country protocols. Hawley used the rest of the time available to him for answering the question on immigration to claim what he believes Kunce would do about the issue if elected.
Young said we need legal immigrants because "they're an important part of our economy and an important part of our culture." He said it should be possible to form policy that acknowledges that but that "partisan warfare" is getting in the way.
Kline said the immigration crisis is driven by the climate crisis, as drought worsens and storms get more intense. He said the U.S. needs more people at the border processing applications. He called immigrants "our secret weapons and our best strength."
At one point in the forum, Hawley accused Kunce of wanting to ban all fossil fuels.
"It will devastate this state," said Hawley. "It might be fine for the green energy wackos, but it will not work in the state of Missouri." He claimed there would be no more gas and diesel and that there would be "no way to harvest the crops, no way to plant the crops."
Both Kunce and Kline, the Green Party candidate, had 30 seconds of rebuttal time since they were both targeted in Hawley's statements.
Kunce called Hawley's accusation "absolutely ridiculous." He said the U.S. needs to own its energy future so that "we aren't beholden to China on the next generation of energy because that's who's going to own it."
Kline said the burning of fossil fuels has to stop to avoid an "existential crisis."
