Former Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis has surged past the $1 million mark in raising money for his bid to flip the 2nd Congressional District Democratic, drawing the attention of a Republican super PAC poised to spend big bucks to defeat him this fall.
The latest federal campaign finance reports show that he’s raised about $1.1 million total for the campaign through March 31. He had about $668,000 in the bank.
Davis’ fundraising far surpasses that of any of the six Republicans who are scrambling for contributions in a crowded field that has to compete for money with a hot Kansas governor’s race and a couple campaigns for statewide office.
However, the super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership is ready to aid the GOP nominee with a heavy expenditure on television and digital ads.
The Congressional Leadership Fund announced Tuesday that it was planning to spend $48 million on congressional races nationwide, including $1.25 million on television in Kansas’ 2nd District. The Republican PAC also is booking $1.7 million in ads in the 3rd Congressional District where Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder is expected to face a spirited challenge.
The political action committee is booking the time now to get a cheaper rate rather than waiting until later in the campaign when ad rates spike.
Davis did not return phone calls. But he did criticize the super PAC’s decision to enter into the race on Twitter.
“With 1 check, DC special interest are trying to silence, 4,394 contributors who’ve built this campaign from the ground up for 8 months. Let’s send a message that we’ll fight for KS,” Davis posted on Twitter.
The former Lawrence lawmaker is seeking the congressional seat now held by Lynn Jenkins, who is retiring after five terms. While President Donald Trump won the district with 56 percent of the vote in 2016, Davis is seen increasingly as a favorite.
In February, Public Policy Polling released survey results showing Davis in a virtual dead heat with a generic Republican candidate.
University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato considers the race a “toss-up,” pointing out that Davis carried the district when he unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2014 and that Democrats carried a variation of the district in 2006 when Nancy Boyda upset Congressman Jim Ryun.
In total fundraising, Davis now outdistances Republican state Sens. Caryn Tyson of Parker, who has raised $350,000, and Steve Fitzgerald of Leavenworth, who reported a haul of about $314,000.
Army veteran and outdoor adventurist Steve Watkins has reported raising nearly $260,000 during the campaign, while Republican state Rep. Kevin Jones of Wellsville reported bringing in about $87,000.
Tyler Tannahill, who made a splash with his AR-15 giveaway in February, reported raising just about $77,000, including a $65,000 loan he made to the campaign. Trailing the field was Basehor City Councilman Vernon James Fields, who reported raising about $20,400 for the entirety of his campaign.
The GOP candidates have had to rely heavily on their own wallets to fund their campaigns. Of the $1.1 million that’s been raised in the Republican primary through March 31, about $612,000 came from the candidates.
Tyson said fundraising has been affected by the fact that there are so many candidates running for the seat as well as the governor’s race and other statewide races. Further, Tyson’s been focused on her work in the Legislature, where she’s chairwoman of the Senate tax committee.
She’s given the campaign about $155,000 to keep its momentum going while she was at the Capitol during the first quarter of the year. With the Legislature scheduled to end in early May, Tyson said she expected fundraising to improve when she turns her attention to the campaign full time.
“When we’re out of session, I’ll definitely be focused on the campaign full time, and you’ll see a difference in the numbers,” Tyson said. “We’re cautiously optimistic about the race.”
Tyson pointed out that she won a Republican straw poll last Friday night at the GOP debate in Atchison.
Fitzgerald, meanwhile, put $200,000 of his own money into his congressional race. So far, he’s raised about $114,000 in contributions.
Fitzgerald’s campaign manager, Tony Bergida, said everyone’s affected by the crowded field. “This is an issue that all the campaigns are dealing with,” he said.
Bergida said the Fitzgerald campaign recognized the fundraising challenges early, which is why at the end of February it hired a finance director who had worked for Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer.
The campaign, he said, has seen a turning point.
“The colonel is a fighter and is very committed to winning this seat,” Bergida said, referring to Fitzgerald’s rank as lieutenant colonel from when he was in the Army. “We’re going to take the steps that we need to make that happen.”
Watkins, too, put a big chunk of money into his campaign. He’s loaned himself $175,100 while raising about $259,000 overall.
“Our campaign fundraising efforts are improving each passing month. We’re optimistic that we will raise funds to win in August and November,” he said.
“I’ve invested a great deal of personal funds into the campaign because I believe in the merits of our message and vision for the future of the conservative movement.”
