Does agreeing to take part in a political debate make you a man? How gender politics and notions of masculinity are playing out in this year’s presidential election — and in the Missouri showdown between Lucas Kunce and Josh Hawley for the U.S. Senate.

The intersection of gender and politics often features in American elections, and has been accentuated by Donald Trump’s presidential contests against Hillary Clinton in 2016 and now Kamala Harris. “Being a man” is also a recurring undertone of the race in Missouri between incumbent U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and his challenger Lucas Kunce.

As a political correspondent for NPR who often focuses on gender politics, Danielle Kurtzleben has been following this trend from a national perspective. KCUR's Brian Ellison spoke with Kurtzleben about the 2024 campaign.

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Kansas City Today is hosted today by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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