Missouri Democrat Lucas Kunce raked in over $2.25 million in 2024's first quarter as he builds an underdog bid to unseat Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Missouri race has flown under the radar, but a push by multiple groups to get an abortion measure on the ballot could make the state more competitive.

• Abortion is banned in the state at all stages with limited exceptions.

The big picture: Abortion rights will be one of the top issues in races around the country in November, and a ballot initiative to protect access in Missouri could boost turnout for Democrats.

• There are a number of abortion-related measures that advocates are pushing to get on the ballot in the state.
• One group is pursuing an initiative that would make abortion legal until viability, while another attempts to allow abortion up to 12 weeks with certain exceptions.
• Each measure needs over 171,000 signatures before early May to be on the ballot.

By the numbers: Kunce, a Marine veteran and attorney, has raised around $7.6 million so far for his campaign, and will enter the second quarter of the year with $3.3 million cash on hand.

• The fundraising figures are a record for a Senate challenger in the state, according to the Kunce campaign.
• Hawley, the former state attorney general, defeated then-Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in 2018 to flip the seat from Democrats.
• Kunce lost the state's 2022 Democratic primary for Senate by a little over 17,000 votes. The winner, Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, went on to lose the general to Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) by over 12 points.