At another campaign stop in St. Louis, Democratic presidential hopeful Lucas Kunce did what he does best: He bluntly addressed the failings of his November opponent, Republican U.S. Senator Josh Hawley.

Kunce repeatedly called Hawley “creepy” and gathered a crowd of about 200 supporters at the Sheetmetal Workers Union building in downtown St. Louis on Monday.

At one point, when Kunce spoke of a confrontation between the two candidates last month at the Missouri State Fair, he said Hawley was trying to rig the event.

Referring to professional wrestling, Kunce said Hawley gave him a “WWE Smackdown” by yelling Kunce’s name as he walked through the crowd.

“He was equipped with microphones, had a camera crew following him… and wore the cutest Western outfit you’ve ever seen.”

When Kunce asked the crowd if they had seen the “Barbie” movie, he called Hawley “Midwestern Ken.”

This part of Kunce’s campaign speech was very well received by the audience, to say the least.

Rusti Levin of University City, a “little fan” of Kunce, said she appreciated his open manner. “He speaks with emotions, but also with facts. He addresses all topics.”

Andi and Joe Blaylock of the Central West End said at the end of Kunce’s 45-minute speech that they appreciated Kunce’s moderate stance as a Democrat.

“He’s the kind of Democrat who can win in Missouri, a more moderate Democrat who can appeal to rural areas,” Joe Blaylock said.

And while Kunce always got to the point in his remarks to the crowd, he was no less direct in a short interview before his appearance, when he gave sober assessments of several issues in the election campaign of the last few weeks.

First, when asked why he repeatedly declined to support Vice President Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate, Hawley always answered directly to the point.

“I’m not in this race to tell people who should be president,” Kunce said backstage shortly before the rally began. “I’m ready and willing to work with anyone to bring money back to this state.”

And when we asked him what he thought about recent polls showing Kunce trailing by double-digit percentage points, he quickly replied, “No.”

“This (campaign) is about traveling around the state and talking to everyone; we’re still in the getting-to-know-you phase,” he said.

Abigial Jackson, a spokeswoman for Hawley, responded to the Democrat’s criticism on Tuesday afternoon, saying, “It’s a shame Kunce didn’t have the courage to debate Josh at the State Fair. I guess he’s afraid he’ll have to give an honest answer about whether he supports Kamala Harris.”

All the pointed criticism contained in this installment of the Hawley-Kunce saga has nothing to do with last week’s edition – which was highlighted, ironically, by reports that before the two candidates became enemies, they had spent time praising the other.

Last week, the Daily Caller reported that before running against Hawley, Kunce had actually praised him for his actions in the Senate in 2020.

According to the article, Kunce particularly liked Hawley’s tough questions on national security issues and his questioning of business leaders and Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.

According to texts obtained by the publication, Kunce at one point praised Hawley’s “great” questioning of a Microsoft executive about China and national security.

“I’m glad someone is still taking care of these things,” Kunce told Hawley.

Not to be outdone when it comes to accusing an opponent with compliments from the past, Kunce’s camp released information that suggested Hawley’s staff had sought advice from Kunce when he worked as policy director for the American Economic Liberties Project.

NOTUS, an online news organization, reported the day after the Daily Caller story that Hawley’s office praised Kunce, at one point calling his proposals “brilliant” and calling for more “legislative solutions.”

“I will let you know if questions arise and otherwise look forward to speaking more soon. Thank you!” Alex Velez-Green, a former national security adviser to Hawley, wrote in an email to Kunce in 2021.

Kunce is staying in the St. Louis area this week and has a performance scheduled for Thursday at the American Legion Hall in Festus.