(Updated to show charges filed and guilty plea in court case)
The campaign of a Republican House candidate started collapsing Wednesday as two major groups pulled their support for her in House District 41 in Leavenworth County because of questions about her background.
A spokesperson for The Republican House Campaign Committee said it would not support Ann Reinhart in her bid for the House seat now held by outgoing Republican state Rep. Pat Proctor, who is running for secretary of state.
Also late Thursday, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, one of the state’s leading business organizations, withdrew its support for Reinhart in her race against Democrat Jeff Pittman, a former House member who previously represented part of the district.
Representatives of the chamber and the House GOP said serious questions have surfaced about Reinhart’s background that it made it impossible to support her candidacy.
“I’m trying to sort this out,” Reinhart said in an email Wednesday night.
Reinhart said late Wednesday and early Thursday morning that she would offer a fuller response.
She had not done so by Thursday afternoon.
Neither the House Republicans nor the chamber would enumerate the issues that they were concerned about.
But there have been rumors and speculation swirling about her background in recent weeks. It is believed that Democrats have possession of the information, too.
Court records from Washington state show there has been a history of child abuse allegations against Reinhart, who had two children with her husband with whom she had been divorced since 2008 after 14 years of marriage.
They indicated that in 2016 Reinhart had been charged with two counts of fourth degree assault-domestic violence when she was accused of kicking their son and throwing two glass cups at their daughter, including one that hit her in the thigh.
She ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct and one count fourth degree assault domestic violence,, according to court records and officials in Washington State.
A judge suspended all but $300 of the fines and 454 days of potential jail time. She ended up responsible for paying $973, which included court costs and assessments.
Five years earlier, Reinhart’s husband submitted a declaration to the court stating his daughter reported her mother smearing poop on her son’s leg after he had an accident. The declaration said Reinhart threatened to smear it on his face if it occurred again.
Reinhart said in court documents that didn’t occur.
In another situation 2008, the husband said in a court document that Reinhart held her daughter’s head under a faucet by her pony tail as she she gave her daughter a bath.
Reinhart called the allegation “ridiculous” in court documents. She said the story was manufactured.
In 2008, the husband also said that Reinhart during a trip to a family reunion roughly grabbed their daughter when she didn’t sit down. The daughter was grabbed so forcibly that it left bruises on the daughter’s arm and leg, the husband said in court documents.
The husband reported his daughter’s injuries to child protective services the investigation didn’t yield anything.
Within a year of their divorce, the husband said Reinhart was engaged to three different men, including one arrested by federal authorities in 2010 on pornography charges.
At one point, he feared that his daughter may have been a victim, but that turned out not true.
During the custody dispute over the children, Reinhart’s mother testified that the children should not be in her care, saying she “displays uncontrollable anger” toward her children.
She compared her daughter’s emotional development to a teen, court records show.
“The reports regarding Ann Reinhart’s history are deeply disturbing and cannot be ignored,” a spokesperson for the Republican House Campaign Committee said.
“RHCC did not recruit her and we will not engage on behalf of her candidacy. That decision was made months ago,” the spokesperson said.
“Public service is a position of trust and those in it must conduct themselves with the highest standards of integrity and respect for others.
“Ann Reinhart is not the only House candidate with a deeply concerning legal history and we hope that our Democrat counterparts take a similar stance regarding their nominees,” the spokesperson said.
When the Kansas Chamber’s political action committee issued its general election endorsements late Wednesday, Reinhart was not among those candidates The chamber had endorsed her in the primary when she was unopposed.
“Ongoing due diligence in HD 41 led the chamber PAC to reconsider its position and subsequently withdraw its endorsement in the race,” said Christie Kriesgshauser, vice president of political affairs for the Kansas Chamber.
The decision by Republicans not to support Reinhart could move the Democrats closer to breaking the Republican supermajority in the House, which may prove less important if Republican Senate President Ty Masterson is elected governor.
The Democrats need five seats to bust up the House supermajority and may pull it off if the Trump brand – and maybe even Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall – drag down Republicans this fall.
Reinhart said she has lived in Leavenworth for five years after living in Seattle most of her life. She also lived for two years in Minnesota before moving to Kansas.
Pittman raised $29,030 during the first part of the year and had $25,921 on hand as of July 23. Reinhart raised $8,190 and had $2,110 in cash on hand as of July 23.
The party composition of House District 41 is about 35% Republican, 38% unaffiliated and about 25% Democratic.
During the 2024 election, President Donald Trump carried the district with 57% of the vote compared to about 40% for Democrat Kamala Harris.
Four years earlier before redistricting, Trump received 55% of the vote here compared to about 42% for Democrat Joe Biden.
In 2022, Gov. Laura Kelly won the district with 50% of the vote to 45% for Derek Schmidt and 3% for Dennis Pyle.
