A new political action committee started by a former Republican lawmaker came to bear in the primary election and is positioned to take on Democrats in the fall campaign season.
The Right Way PAC for Government Efficiency, started by former Overland Park state Rep. Marvin Kleeb, has raised about $140,000 since it started last fall. It ended the reporting period in July with $124,000 in the bank.
The PAC, which received about 20 percent of its contributions from Topeka businessman Mark Heitz, invested in six races pitting moderates against conservatives during the primary, although it didn’t come down strictly on one side.
The PAC created a buzz in Johnson County, where Stand Up Blue Valley — a supporter of moderate Republicans — urged voters to oppose outside interests trying to influence local legislative races.
Kleeb’s PAC dropped about $25,000 in independent expenditures right before the primary election, including about $12,000 to help conservative incumbent Rep. Sean Tarwater, who came out on top in a Republican primary field of three candidates. He has Democratic opposition in the fall.
The PAC contributed money to Republican state Rep. Blaine Finch of Ottawa who defeated conservative Shari Weber, as well as to Republicans Kellie Warren and Kristy Acree.
Warren knocked off moderate state Rep. Joy Koesten, while Acree lost to former state Rep. Owen Donohoe. Kleeb’s PAC also weighed in to help Renee Erickson flip the 87th House District conservative. Erickson defeated Jeff Kennedy to win the seat once held by Roger Elliott. There is no Democrat running for that seat this fall.
In a recent interview, Kleeb said he was looking for pragmatic lawmakers who understand how issues such as education, economic development and jobs play off one another.
“I am interested in legislators who are open-minded and willing to listen,” Kleeb said. “I’m going for pragmatic, open-minded legislators willing to govern.”
Kleeb said the PAC won’t be lobbying the Legislature on specific issues. He said the goal is to help like-minded lawmakers win elections.
Looking forward, the PAC has contributed to Republicans challenging Democratic incumbents Ed Trimmer in District 79, Tim Hodge in District 72, Steve Crum in District 98 and Virgil Weigel in District 56. It’s also backing former state Rep. Terry Calloway against Democratic incumbent Monica Murnan.
Since late last year, Kleeb’s PAC has raised money from a variety of interests in the gambling, real estate and energy industries. It received $20,000 from real estate developers Price Brothers in Overland Park; $10,000 from Boyd Gaming, owner of the Kansas Star Casino in Wichita; and $6,000 from Kansas City Power & Light, records show.
Other donors included David Kensinger, chief of staff for former Gov. Sam Brownback; Johnson County development attorney John Petersen; and lobbyist George Stafford, a staffer for Brownback when he was in the U.S. Senate.
This year, the PAC received $30,000 from Heitz and $15,000 combined from three other companies that are connected to one another. CM2 Holding Co. gave $5,000 to the PAC. CM2 owned more than 50 percent of Creative One Marketing, which also gave $5,000 to the PAC, records show. Client One Securities, which shares the same address as Creative One Marketing, also contributed $5,000.
Creative One Marketing’s owners include Heitz, Mike Tripses, Mike Miller and Lance Sparks. The firm’s website describes Creative One Marketing as a “diversified financial services organization focused on investment and retirement income tactics.”
Efforts to reach Heitz for comment were unsuccessful, and Kleeb declined to specifically discuss the background of the PAC’s donors.
“Donors are the ones who realize that we need to get some of these common-sense, pragmatic legislators across the line,” he said.
As a lawmaker, Kleeb chaired the House tax committee and said he had an interest in economic development issues and job growth.
“I’ve got people that share that sort of interest … to make sure that Kansas is open for business,” Kleeb said.
“There’s a big feeling out there that we want to make sure that with all the money spent on education — and our great higher education system, as well — we don’t want to be an exporter of our student base. We want to have jobs here in town and in the state.”
