Missouri Senate candidate urges GOP opponent to apologize to protesters

Democratic Missouri Senate candidate Lucas Kunce on Wednesday issued a challenge to his GOP opponent Mark McCloskey, calling on him to apologize for pointing an assault rifle at activists during a Black Lives Matter rally last year in images that went viral.

McCloskey, a wealthy personal injury lawyer who is running as a Republican, launched his campaign for Missouri’s open Senate race last month.

He and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, made national news after they pointed firearms at peaceful activists walking down the street outside their home in St. Louis.

The McCloskeys were charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon, but they were extensively praised and saluted by conservatives, including being invited to speak at the Republican National Convention ahead of last year’s election.

Kunce, a former Marine, made his request in a video posted to Twitter with a caption saying that he wants to “teach him [McCloskey] a lesson.”

“I’m Lucas Kunce and I’m running for U.S. Senate here in Missouri,” he says in the video while loading and appearing to aim an assault weapon before apparently changing his mind. “You know what? Forget it. I don’t have to do this type of thing. You know, I kind of got my fill of carrying one of these around in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stunts like that? Those are for those clowns on the other side, like that ‘Mansion Man’ Mark McCloskey.”

“If you don’t remember who I’m talking about, he’s that guy who got his 15 minutes of fame waving one of these weapons of war around at a bunch of people who were walking by his mansion,” Kunce continued. “And now, he somehow thinks that that qualifies himself to be a U.S. senator. Well Mark, I hear you got a trial coming up pretty soon here for your misuse of a weapon. So, I’ve got a challenge for you. How about this: If you do something that you should’ve already done a long time ago, and that’s apologize to all those people you threatened with deadly force, I’ll give you one U.S. Marine’s lead weapons training class.”

Remember that clown who got his 15 minutes of fame threatening people with a weapon of war outside his mansion? You know, Mansion Man @Mark__McCloskey?

Well, I’m running against him for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat. And I want to teach him a lesson. pic.twitter.com/3UGaoXvD4p

— Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) June 9, 2021

“I’m ready whenever you are,” Kunce said closing out the video. He also encouraged his supporters to sign their support for the challenge online at mansionmanmark.com.

Kunce launched his bid for the open Missouri Senate seat in March.