Trump beat Biden in 110 of Missouri's 114 counties. Biden managed to surpass a meager 40% of the vote in just 6 counties: St Louis City (80.8%), St Louis County (60.2%), Jackson (60.0%), Boone (53.5%), Platte (46.5%) and Clay (46.0%). For comparison's sake, Trump had over 80% of the vote in 27 counties. Outside of St Louis, Kansas City and Columbia, the Democratic Party is basically moribund-- in what was once the quintessential swing state of America. The demoralized Democratic Party is lost at sea, convinced that the only way to win is to wait for a national blue wave and then get behind Republican-lite messaging. The Party is an embodiment of conservative Democrat Claire McCaskill.
If you've been reading DWT this year with even the smallest bit of regularity, you're probably aware that Missouri Democrats have their most exciting statewide candidate in decades: working class hero and populist Lucas Kunce. Polls have shown him not just leaving the establishment Democratic candidate in the dust, but also in position to beat the Republican front runner, former governor Eric Greitens.
Absolutely the most important under-the-radar contest in the country, national Democrats have paid almost no attention. But as the excitement around Kunce's candidacy increased, even all-but-dead Democrats realized something is happening. So yesterday, their sad sack nothing candidate, former state Sen. Scott Sifton, withdrew from the race and endorsed another establishment candidate who hopped in 5 second earlier, Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine.
Busch Valentine has been extremely cheap when it comes to contributing to Democrats, just a few thousand dollars here and there, primarily to conservative Democrats like Hillary Clinton... although she did give $7 million to Saint Louis University to get the school to rename the nursing school after her.
Kunce's spokesman, Connor Lounsbury, issued a statement to the media about the rich lady trying to muscle her way into the race:
When Lucas Kunce entered this race over a year ago, nobody thought he had a chance in hell. No one in the Establishment had heard of this 13-year Marine veteran who had grown up in a home where his family went bankrupt trying to pay for medical bills. When Lucas said he was going to raise money the right way and not take a single penny from Corporate PACs, elites laughed at him. ‘That’s the only way Democratic politicians can win.’
But here we are in March, and Lucas Kunce has outraised everyone in the race and narrowed the polling gap to single digits. Our campaign has gotten grassroots donations from all 114 counties and the city of St. Louis. Lucas and the grassroots movement backing his campaign have put this Senate race on the map. Our message from the start has been clear: This is about fundamentally changing who has power in this country. Missouri deserves a warrior for working people, a proven patriot who’s served his country, who has the courage to stand up to criminal politicians, corrupt elites running massive multinational corporations, and billionaire heiresses who have been stripping our communities for parts. Lucas Kunce is that warrior.
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Blue America's endorsement of Kunce and I'd like to encourage you to consider contributing to his campaign by clicking on the picture of the endorsement. (It's a live link.)
UPDATE:
Perhaps in response to the conservative and inept establishment trying to insert the heiress at the last minute, Representative Rasheen Aldridge Jr., St. Louis County Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, Bellefontaine Neighbors Mayor Tommie Pierson Sr., St. Louis Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard, and St. Louis Alderman John Collins-Muhammad Jr. are throwing their support behind Kunce. Representative Rasheen Aldridge Jr, who served on the Ferguson Commission, told the media this morning that "There’s only one person in the race that can win, and that’s Lucas Kunce. I’m looking for someone who’s going to fight for everyday Missourians, all of us. That’s Lucas. I’m backing him with everything I got because we deserve a Senator who puts working people first."