Another Democrat is planning to jump into the race to unseat U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.
State Sen. Karla May, D-St. Louis, told the Mound City Bar Association over the weekend she would run for the U.S. Senate next year. May told St. Louis Public Radio that she would speak to the press about her political future later this week.
May has represented portions of St. Louis and St. Louis County in the Missouri Senate since 2019. Before that, she served for eight years in the Missouri House.
Since joining the Senate, May has played a role in crafting legislation dealing with criminal justice issues. She’s also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is partly responsible for crafting Missouri’s budget.
May, the daughter of former St. Louis Alderwoman Perrie May, garnered a reputation as a sharp political operator. She noted during a 2018 appearance on Politically Speaking that she started working in campaigns before she graduated from high school.
“By the time I actually got to high school, I was actually managing street teams knocking on doors and getting out the vote,” May said in 2018.
And since falling short for her initial bids for the Missouri House, May has dispatched strong Democratic contenders in primaries. That includes her 2018 state Senate win where she defeated incumbent Sen. Jake Hummel.
May will join Lucas Kunce and Wesley Bell in the Democratic primary against Hawley.
Kunce, who is making his second run for the Senate, already has raised several million dollars and received the backing of some influential Black political figures — including former Congressman Bill Clay and St. Louis County Councilwoman Rita Days, D-Bel Nor.
Kunce also received the backing of the Missouri AFL-CIO, as well as a number of labor unions. But May, a longtime member of the Communications Workers of America, could also receive some support from some organized labor groups as well.
Bell, who has served as St. Louis County prosecutor since 2019, is also banking on receiving African-American support in his Senate bid. He recently rolled out endorsements from a number of north St. Louis County leaders, including Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
While Missouri has become more Republican in recent years, the winner of the primary could be beneficiary of a torrent of Democratic donations — especially from people around the country who dislike Hawley. Hawley himself has said he expects his re-election bid to be expensive.