Four seeking Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate seat

Four Democrats are running for the party's nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Josh Hawley.

December Harmon of Columbia is a human and civil rights activist. Lucas Kunce of Jefferson City is a military veteran. Karla May is a state senator, representing a district in and around St. Louis. The fourth candidate, Mita Biswas of of St. Louis has no campaign material or biographical information available.

Harmon

She has fought against "Big Tobacco" and for LGBT rights, those with disabilities and mitigating the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Her campaign lists climate change, women's rights, gun control and police reform among the issues important to her.

"December experienced homelessness twice. She has struggled with a broken healthcare system and hopes to serve as positive representation to those battling mental illness. After major surgery, December returned to college and received her B.A. in Political Science. She is dedicated to transparency in government, fighting corruption and helping people live full lives. December wants to fight the fascist uprise in America, but the fight starts at home," her website states.

Kunce

​A 13-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Kunce served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a Southeast Missourian story from a previous run for office, Kunce expanded on his populist ideas.

"The media keep anointing people populists who don't do anything about changing who has power in this country. My campaign isn't a left-right campaign. It's a top-bottom campaign where I am trying to bring everyday people together to punch up and actually get us things we deserve, things we've earned, and stop transferring wealth from us overseas and to other people. That's populism," he said. "That's the brand of Harry Truman ... William Jennings Bryan before him. ... It is about empowering everyday people against the people who are stripping our communities for parts."

He said changing the dynamics of power is an element of his campaign.

"I think we need to fundamentally change who has power in this country, and there is no place where it is being abused more than there," he said. "We have all these people who don't understand how normal folks live. They don't realize that most of us live paycheck to paycheck, one disaster from bankruptcy. They really don't, and if they did, they would make decisions very differently than they do."

A graduate of Yale University and University of Missouri law school, Kunce decried foreign influence on many sectors of the U.S. economy, including agriculture and energy, noting U.S. naval resources patrol the Persian Gulf while many oil shipments passing through the region do not deliver that fuel to the U.S.

"Our military is literally defending Chinese supply chain so the energy can go there and so they can use that energy to invest in the next generation of energy and beat us," he said. "It's crazy, and the reason we operate that way is because our country operates on what Wall Street wants."

He said he would support prohibiting foreign countries from owning U.S. farmland and said foreign-owned companies, such as Smithfield, control too much of the U.S. agriculture industry, to the detriment of American farmers.

May

May, represents the 4th Senatorial District. She was sworn into office on Jan. 9, 2019.

Before being elected to the Missouri Senate, she served as state representative for the 84th District in the Missouri House of Representatives. First elected in 2010, she served eight years in the Missouri House. As a state representative, she served on the Budget and Transportation committees. She was also the ranking minority member of both the Subcommittee on Appropriations – Public Safety, Corrections, Transportation and Revenue and the Special Committee on Employment. She formerly served as the vice chair of the Missouri General Assembly’s Black Legislative Caucus; treasurer of the bipartisan Missouri Women’s Legislative Caucus; and has served as a member of the Budget and Revenue Committee for the National Conference of State Legislatures. Senator May served as the Region XI chair for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators from 2012-2018, serving Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, formerly serving on the Executive Committee as chaplain and currently serving as an at-large member.

May is the Minority Caucus chair and serves on Appropriations; Commerce Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment; Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence; Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics; Joint Committee on Child Abuse & Neglect; Joint Committee on the Justice System; Joint Committee on Public Assistance; Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment; Interim Committee on Elections; Interim Committee on Greater St. Louis Regional Emerging Issues; Interim Committee on Medicaid Accountability and Taxpayer Protection and also appointed by the governor to the Missouri Justice Reinvestment Initiative.

May is president and board member of the St. Louis Philanthropic Organization. She has been involved with the organization for the past 25 years, helping award grants to agencies focused on education and programs that benefit the residents of the City of St. Louis. She is an executive board member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) St. Louis Chapter and serves as an international at-large board member.

Born and raised in the City of St. Louis, May currently resides in the city’s 26th Ward, and has been employed with AT&T for 25 years. She attends Grow 2 Go (G2G) Christian Center (formerly St. Louis Christian Center) where she has served as youth minister since October of 2001, serves on the Pastor’s Think Tank, outreach ministry and the intercessory prayer ministry. She holds an ASBA from Forest Park Community College and a BSBA from Saint Louis University.