For an hour, the five Republican 2nd District Congressional candidates debated the weightier issues of our times – immigration, guns, inflation and Social Security.
But as the WIBW televised debate that was mostly focused on Derek Schmidt, Jeff Kahrs and Shawn Tiffany drew to a close, Mike Ogle went for heart over policy.
As Ogle wrapped up his closing statement, he pulled a ring from his jacket and proposed on stage to Nikoe Pulley.
“Everybody knows a good woman is all you really need. A bad woman will put a man on his knees. I found a good woman,” Ogle told the television audience as he held the ring up to the camera.
“So, Nikoe Pulley, if you’re out there, will you marry me?” Ogle said.
A day later, Ogle revealed that Pulley – who was not in the studio Tuesday night – accepted his proposal. A wedding is planned for the fall.
“We’ve got to coordinate that the people we love the most need to be able to be there,” Ogle said in an interview.
Why did he do it?
“America needs something positive right now,” Ogle said. “Everything is scandal and negative. We need positive things in politics. We need a little optimism.”
Ogle had an early run-in with the media when he had to explain a criminal background stemming from a 2019 Christmas domestic dispute in Topeka.
“I’m having the time of my life running,” he said. “It’s just been kind of this all-American experience for me.
“It’s just been great to just go around and talk to Kansans and advocate for America.”
