John Tester and Lucas Kunce both decided it was too dangerous to endorse Harris. Neither would even say whether they were voting for her. They both lost. To voters like me, it came across as sexist. They were trying to appeal to white Trump dudes. That’s a losing strategy. - ThreadSky

piperformissouri.bsky.social • 205 days ago

John Tester and Lucas Kunce both decided it was too dangerous to endorse Harris. Neither would even say whether they were voting for her.

They both lost. To voters like me, it came across as sexist. They were trying to appeal to white Trump dudes.

That’s a losing strategy.

Comments

usahostage.bsky.social•205 days ago

Love it 👍

lynn101.bsky.social•205 days ago

Yes it is & it sucks. Why should anyone be afraid to endorse whoever they want? What the hell has happened to this country in the last 10 years? So are our armed forces going to kiss ass or tell tRump to take a hike?

michaeljgras.bsky.social•204 days ago

Agreed.

His stated reason didn't make any sense either. He kept saying that he wanted race to focus on "local issues" but he was literally running for United States Senate.

Like bro, a senator's thoughts/relationship with the president are EXTREMELY relevant to their job.

annettebb.bsky.social•205 days ago

Yep. And neither one got any donation from me either. I’m pretty small potatoes, but I’m sure it added up.

asocialstray.bsky.social•205 days ago

Their demographic thrives off the illusion of majority.

vcarmer.bsky.social•205 days ago

As the Dems move forward, I believe a genuine voice needs to be developed. And they need to stop worrying who they piss off. Trump sure didn’t worry.

diane98.bsky.social•205 days ago

Nailed it. E-mailed Kunce that my money was going to a US House candidate after his staff threw that candidate's lit in the trash. DO NOT disrespect another Dem candidate.

agreatsong.bsky.social•205 days ago

Agree.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

I think it could have also led to voter suppression. If the guy running as a Dem in a senate race won’t say he believes in the presidential candidate, it may make voters wonder why? They may decide to abstain from voting at the top of the ticket.

cvdgoldens.bsky.social•205 days ago

I held my nose and voted for Kunce, because...Hawley. But I, too, wasn't happy that he didn't say anything about Harris.

kyzhrn68.bsky.social•205 days ago

Being in a 💙 state, I knew the Presidential, & Senate seats in my state would all go 💙 & him being a veteran, so I donated multiple times to Krunce. Did my research, thought I might have missed his endorsement, but mainly because I wanted Hawley out. Utterly disappointed with him.

evalani.bsky.social•205 days ago

It took him a long time to say anything when Roe was overturned. I had hoped he knew what he was doing-

stevenkh.bsky.social•205 days ago

Hi Jess, From St.Joe Mo. I'm glad to find you here. I was a Twitter follower before.

korndognetty.bsky.social•205 days ago

Good point

smhrva.bsky.social•205 days ago

Excellent point

uticajsh.bsky.social•205 days ago

Did they not learn from Tim Ryan’s failed Senatorial campaign in 22? They gave the impression of not having any democratic convictions imo.

pegofnevada.bsky.social•205 days ago

Also Sherrod Brown. Also lost.

joecgiles.bsky.social•205 days ago

I regret donating to Tester.

lilithkarma.bsky.social•205 days ago

Maybe Kunce could have participated in a coordinated campaign and helped the down ballot candidates. I'm sure Jon Hamm's endorsement was more important though.

He lost and I'm not even mad. Not my lesson to learn though. 🤷‍♀️

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

Solidarity

damefoxy.bsky.social•204 days ago

Tester's races have always been squeakers, but he'd swing it. I hated his campaign leaning right, but I also know he was paying attention to demographics. American Redoubt/Yellowstone Cosplay has meant an influx of bastards. Rich Conservative Bastards.
The poor conservative bastards are homegrown.

michaelbersin.bsky.social•205 days ago

2024:

Josh Hawley (r) - 54.548%
Lucas Kunce (D) - 41.818%

2022:

Eric Schmitt (r) - 55.4%
Trudy Busch Valentine (D) - 42.2%

via Missouri Secretary of State

Hawley (r) didn't do as well as Schmitt (r) - everybody hates Josh Hawley, the right wingnut base still voted for him.

nothing-kills.bsky.social•205 days ago

Tester was lucky to be a Democrat senator, in a deep-red state

16rolynn.bsky.social•205 days ago

Dems can be shitty people too.

16rolynn.bsky.social•205 days ago

I often remind Tim Ryan that he lost to JD Vance because he was trying to get Trumpers to vote for him, when they never would, when he should have been working to get Dems and Independents to vote for him. Bad, bad strategy.

politcalmum.bsky.social•205 days ago

Democrats don’t understand that - I’m in nc and have fought that ideology for years. You tell your base either you don’t matter or we know we can count on you no matter what.. 7 million fewer votes cast this time..

asocialstray.bsky.social•205 days ago

More faith in a no-name with suspicious timing.

boisefootballdude.bsky.social•205 days ago

Also, here in Montana, it was very obvious that Jon’s strategy was to be “republican lite”. All his ads were talking about working with Trump to “stand up to Biden”. Really turned a lot of people off from him.

barbnevertrump.bsky.social•205 days ago

Yeah, and it came across as pretty chickenshit, to me ...

neecy.bsky.social•204 days ago

I watched the Kunce/Hawley debate and Kunce was great until asked about Harris, then he squirmed and dodged and refused to say if he’d vote for her.

It looked ridiculous. Hawley was all in for Trump, an execrable human being, but Kunce couldn’t stand up for a decent person?

lt-jlh.bsky.social•205 days ago

realists

dwmanning.bsky.social•204 days ago

they both significantly outran the top of the ticket! What are you even on about?

andipeezy.bsky.social•205 days ago

Big Facts, you literally are all in with us democrats or your not!!!

froghoppin.bsky.social•205 days ago

Counterpoint: Lucas outperformed Harris. Lucas top D vote getter in state 1.234m, Harris 1.190m, Quade 1.136m. The sexist and racist reality of MO voters is they didn't like Harris. A POTUS candidate spending billion$ barely taking more votes than candidate for Governor Quade is telling.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

Why not push for those women candidates then? If you can’t win, why not stump for all Missourians? I did. I do. I couldn’t win my race but I showed up for others. I still do.

froghoppin.bsky.social•205 days ago

I really don't understand how the electorate did what it did. I deeply felt that there would be significant backlash from Dobbs and Trumps criminality. I was wrong. The inescapable answers I keep coming back to is a deeply racist and sexist country that gets off on intolerance. Its awful.

bryceenglin.bsky.social•205 days ago

I’m also not trying to present the view from a sexist perspective just another way to look at it. If I did not say it specifically, you highlight some valid concerns than cannot be overlooked.

bryceenglin.bsky.social•205 days ago

I understand what you are saying and I think the answer on this specific question is not going to be as cut and dry as one hopes.

Some folks are saying the National Abortion ban has run out of steam, others claim it was the economy this go round.

I think it is a mix of all realistically.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

Same

haznation.bsky.social•205 days ago

How many dem votes in 2020? the fact is people stayed at home.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

Yup. We also can’t discount voter suppression that happened in 2020 and 2022.

haznation.bsky.social•203 days ago

good point.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

I wonder if it would’ve helped if there were Senate candidates going out and stumping for themselves and her?

haznation.bsky.social•205 days ago

That's why i defer to people like you locally that know the game.

haznation.bsky.social•205 days ago

I think we have to visit colleges and get young people to run against these old stooges with no opponent. Of course I have not right to say anything.. I did not knock on doors. BUT Harris had the best ground game ever; trump had none. So maybe door knocking is not the answer.

haznation.bsky.social•205 days ago

I would think so.. I looked at the ballot and half of mine seemed to be Repub with no opponent. It was disheartening. I really think that last week, everyone was talking about how ahead she was... that makes folks think they are not needed.

froghoppin.bsky.social•205 days ago

Harris got 1.190m votes, Biden 1.253m, Clinton 1.071m. I find it also telling that Harris spent a Billion $ to only get 53,807 more votes than the Democratic candidate for Governor, Crystal Quade. That is a complete messaging fiasco.

haznation.bsky.social•205 days ago

Wow, that is disappointing. I dont know any Trump campaign folks knocked on doors in mid-MO. I think the next year is going to wake some up. Of course, it will turn more maga into monsters.

backitupksha.bsky.social•205 days ago

Doesn't help that he can't seem to win any of the races he runs in either.

shaquillonius.bsky.social•205 days ago

Montana's a red state. So is West Virginia. Those were borrowed seats. Both of those duded successfully ran campaign after campaign doing it their way. This time Tester got pushed out by the same people that pushed Trump in.

skepticalarrow.bsky.social•205 days ago

It reminds me a lot of 2010. Dems tried to run away from Obama to save their own jobs. They lost, bad. He won again 2 years later.

johnnyboyapril.bsky.social•204 days ago

She is too female and too brown.
People suck.

acedawg.bsky.social•205 days ago

The only remaining issue is how to win the next election if there is one. Nothing else. Sorry but that and only that is the issue. Why did Fetterman win in PA? Win the forking election.
Timetime to

smac42.bsky.social•205 days ago

Agreed. And Harris working and touring with Cheney did absolutely NOTHING for her. White women in suburbs are just racist and Joe Rogan bros would NEVER support a black woman. I admit I was wrong

froghoppin.bsky.social•204 days ago

This is the staggering part. This is straight up DC Beltway bubble thinking that Liz Cheney somehow commanded this big constituency that Harris could tap into. By all means let Cheney record a video endorsement, but don't go on stage touring with her like she's some electoral rock star!

jackversuslocke.bsky.social•205 days ago

That’s disappointing. I thought Kunce was better than this. Guess not.

davidallen67.bsky.social•205 days ago

I voted for Kunce, but his campaign did a few things i didn't love. It was disappointing.

jamoke2024.bsky.social•205 days ago

Sorry for us they lost, but you don't desert your friends/allies when it's expedient.

joshuaseattle1.bsky.social•205 days ago

Sexist, and maybe with some racism tossed in there too?

sawpit.bsky.social•205 days ago

If Biden had been running, he wouldn’t have endorsed him either. It’s a political calculation, that’s all.

joshuaseattle1.bsky.social•205 days ago

Ralph, bud; reread the original post, will you? You're way off base here.

sari.bsky.social•205 days ago

That’s really disappointing

phxflyer.bsky.social•205 days ago

It’s gutless.

thegreenstudy.com•205 days ago

This idea that we can appeal to the other side needs to die after this election. What is obvious is that catering/conceding/entertaining right-wing conservatism & its ilk is a losing strategy. The GOP didn't do anything to appeal to Dems - just riled up their side enough to show up and vote.

michaelbersin.bsky.social•205 days ago

I covered Lucas Kunce at campaign events in Barnett, Belton, and at the IBEW in Kansas City. I also followed him (from the bed of a truck pickup truck) in the University of Missouri Homecoming parade.

michaelbersin.bsky.social•205 days ago

He definitely sounded like a Democrat at those campaign events. He waded into the crowd at the parade in Columbia and got an enthusiastic response.

On the other hand, his television commercials were atrocious.

michaelbersin.bsky.social•205 days ago

I covered over a dozen of Trudy Busch Valentine's (D) campaign events in 2022. One-on-one she was an engaging, joyful, and effective campaigner. A good and decent human being. Missouri chose Eric Schmitt (r), a Fascist.

The margins in 2022 and 2024 were similar.

michaelbersin.bsky.social•205 days ago

We're never going to get the MAGA vote. Never. I'll repeat myself, never.

There are a lot of people who consistently don't vote, for one reason or another. That's where the votes are.

valeriethornton.bsky.social•203 days ago

Or, they voted unwittingly for Trump because they believed his false promises.

ronjarovarsdottir.bsky.social•203 days ago

Let's not forget the exhausting back-and-forth about a debate. EXHAUSTING. Kunce should have just shut Hawley down and stopped responding after the first no-go. Not the farce of a debate we got--but I'm not sure a real debate was possible with Hawley anyway since he has no idea what he's doing).

michaelbersin.bsky.social•203 days ago

I was there.

televisedanarchy.bsky.social•205 days ago

Pure cowardice and another sign that GQP-lite is not the way forward.

Democrats have to be seen as a party of actual, progressive change or they'll admit that their only real goal is to fund raise and lose elections.

bellison22.bsky.social•205 days ago

Valid!

bsexton.bsky.social•205 days ago

Jon Tester also called for Biden to step down. I think he was worried about how his campaign would affect his race.

IDK, I'm tired of cowards running for office.

druannew.bsky.social•205 days ago

I live in Missouri and I didn’t it take it that way. That man was fighting an uphill battle and i don’t think his lack of endorsement hurt him. I worry Missouri is lost to the democrats for awhile.

froghoppin.bsky.social•204 days ago

I'm from Mo as well, and I agree. This thread focuses on Kunce's behavior, but I'll put it like this: Mo is a dead lock for Trump and the only way the (R) Sen candidate would lose is if they became a Never-Trumper, which Hawley did not. Kunce was just the, "I'm Not (R)" choice

out5p0ken.bsky.social•205 days ago

I didn’t know Lucas did. Damn. That’s not good down ballot - and yes, also misogynistic and racist

lgc3761.bsky.social•205 days ago

I am so disheartened to hear that. Kunce should have backed Harris

krish12.bsky.social•205 days ago

The dialog worked when it didn't split hairs between women and men. Harris would have been an excellent President, period. Women's rights? Good. Opportunity for everyone? Good. Will she be acceptable as a woman President? BS. That last take happened right before the election and was media driven.

robertswartz.bsky.social•205 days ago

Absolutely agree. And why would anyone vote for you when you don't support the party's ticket?

slindquist.bsky.social•205 days ago

I noticed that, too, and remembered that in 2018 McCaskill, Heitkamp and Donnelly also ran away from the Dem Party. All 3 lost.

proftinkerbell.bsky.social•205 days ago

Making noise about such things is how we disrupt White supremacist patriarchy. There is simply no excuse.

suzedwards.bsky.social•205 days ago

As a Montanan, I was definitely disappointed by tester’s lack of endorsement - he was really doubling down on the “republicans for tester” strategy. Interesting that our pro abortion rights initiative passed handily despite being a red state.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

Our abortion initiative passed too. They should’ve leaned into that.

rainbowdefender1.bsky.social•203 days ago

And Democrats gained nine State House seats and two State Senate seats.

heartlesscreatures.bsky.social•205 days ago

I didn't understand the whole Kunce not saying who he was voting for at all.

dabirdman.bsky.social•203 days ago

Maybe just maybe woke, identity politics is a losing strategy

williamtaggart.org•205 days ago

Data points for you to consider -
Jon Tester - 276,184 votes
Kamala Harris - 231,761 votes in Montana.

Lucas Kunce - 1,243,024 votes
Kamala Harris - 1,199,861 votes in Missouri

Kunce and Tester did lose, but they got more votes than Harris in both states.

sf4womensrights.bsky.social•205 days ago

This is disappointing, big time. I wasn’t aware. No wonder some things didn’t add up. I’m very disgusted with Missouri. Yes, we passed amendment 3 but then put in republicans. Makes no sense. Are people even thinking.

froghoppin.bsky.social•205 days ago

I'm convinced the R's have a lock on the "we'll keep your taxes low" appeal, and the Initiative Petition process lets Dem-leaning voters choose topic-by-topic on goodies like recreational marijuana and abortion. IP takes all the wind out of any Democratic platform challenge in MO.

dlkelly.bsky.social•205 days ago

Yeah they make a bunch of promises they're never going to keep! People just don't get it!! Just tons of misinformation and just a lot of anti-government sentiment!!

valeriethornton.bsky.social•203 days ago

Yes, standing on principle works. The "Trump dudes" have no principles. It was the finer aspects of Tester's and Kunce's characters that appealed to so many of their supporters.

muskratsux.bsky.social•205 days ago

Kunce always seems angry
He lost me when he was running against Busch.
I voted for him, but I don't like him.

dstamos-jetdriver.bsky.social•205 days ago

In the choice between the real Republican and the Democrat acting like a Republican voters tend to choose the real Republican.

kimnoreen.bsky.social•205 days ago

Neither were willing to take a stand for peace, either...or for Medicare For All, or free lunches in schools, or climate crisis response. Where Dems were progressive, they won. The "centrists" lost everywhere.

automatedstellar.bsky.social•205 days ago

I wish I could say misogynistic Democrat dudes aren’t a thing but cognitive dissonance and opportunism too often worm or “RFK” their way in and eat away at the anterior insular cortex (the part of the brain where empathy originates).

dlkelly.bsky.social•205 days ago

I live in MT and they just threw everything at him! Trump has been relentless and trying to get rid of him! Transgender funding for only black farmers reckless Biden spending, just sunk him! It was self preservation to distance himself!

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

It didn’t work

dlkelly.bsky.social•205 days ago

He really had no chance!! MT has been taken over with Trump fans!

batmobile63-65.bsky.social•201 days ago

Glad they lost! And I donated to one of the assholes!

batmobile63-65.bsky.social•201 days ago

In second thought, me and my wife donated to both of the assholes!

angeloftheozarks.bsky.social•204 days ago

They should have ran on Independent tickets, but they like the backing of the Democratic machine to power their campaign.

Dan Osborn continues the Senate election I am most saddened by.

americanme.bsky.social•205 days ago

Kunce was only trying to appeal to voters in this district the way McCaskill did. It's hard for a Democrat to win in this area without flipping some Republicans

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

They both lost.

americanme.bsky.social•205 days ago

Indeed but McCaskill held the seat for 12 years. She did it by changing to pro life. I didn't agree with it but I understand.

mstoney.bsky.social•205 days ago

That’s kinda what the Harris campaign closing message was too unfortunately - going for Trump voters with Liz Cheney taking center stage and promises about the Cabinet. Instead of going for the base and strong Dem messaging.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•205 days ago

Oof. Right?

joanofarch1.bsky.social•204 days ago

agree 💯

jotoole.bsky.social•205 days ago

Did Tim Ryan try to pull this “thread the needle” aka cowardly nonsense too?

kcchiefs1961.bsky.social•205 days ago

I agree 💯.

sllnj.bsky.social•205 days ago

I agree.

haznation.bsky.social•205 days ago

me too. i was all about kunce... donated and all. then he would not endorse the ticket he was running on. slap in the face. I know i know.. strategy and all that - well how did that work out for him?