(Updated to reflect developments on possible Kobach announcement Monday)
Good morning everyone:
A relatively slow week over the July Fourth holiday. But it was a big week for Sunflower State Journal. After 16 months, we published our 1,000th post last week. Top three stories read on the site (and we don’t know why): Kobach makes a constitutional amendment on schools a priority; Vermin Supreme kicked off the ballot; and Kathleen Sebelius endorses Laura Kelly for governor. We think there have been better stories, but oh well.
Now a look at the more significant stories we published last week with a look at other stories that you might have missed but still need to know about.
- Judge throws out senator’s defamation lawsuit against The Star.
- Governor is not warm to the idea of expanding Medicaid to only those earning up to 100% of the poverty level; Senate majority leader sheds light on his plan.
- Rep. Brenda Dietrich announces campaign for Senate against incumbent Eric Rucker. Rucker couldn’t be reached for the story but later said he planned to run in 2020.
- A rundown of interim committee meetings approved by legislative leadership.
- Kansas Bureau of Investigation introduces a new website and database for property seized by law enforcement.
Now onto other news you may have missed but need to know about:
Kobach Senate race decision nears
Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach said Saturday he expects to decide about running for U.S. Senate by the end of July.
Kobach said he is weighing a number of factors, including his family, his work with We Build the Wall and whether he can still land a job with President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I do intend to make a decision by the end of July for sure,” Kobach said in an interview at the Leavenworth County Republican Party picnic Saturday afternoon.
“To make a solid run for a U.S. Senate seat, you’ve got to (decide) a full year before the primary nowadays,” he said.
Kobach said his decision will likely hinge on where he can make the biggest difference. He said he never intended to fade away even after his unsuccessful bid for governor.
“I was never interested after the governor’s race in just crawling into a hole and giving up public life,” he said. “Where can I continue to fight the good fight?”
By early Sunday afternoon, word was seeping out about a possible Monday announcement.
Reporters from the Wall Street Journal and McClatchy were placing phone calls asking about whether Kobach would announce a Senate bid on Monday.
Multiple sources said some kind of announcement was planned for 1 p.m. Monday in Leavenworth, possibly at the Riverfront Community Center.
A Kobach supporter from Olathe – Sherada Marie Collins – sent out an announcement about the event on Facebook. The message did not specifically say if the announcement was about the Senate race.
The message said the event was set for 1 p.m. at the community center. “Invite people you know are Kris backers. Thanks!!. See you tomorrow!!” It was followed by a heart.
In an interview early Sunday evening, Collins confirmed sending out the message via Facebook, but declined to discuss the message’s origins.
She said an official announcement notifying the media would be out on Monday morning.
“The message was sent to me,” Collins said. “I got the announcement and I was told (to) invite people I know that are Kris supporters to come tomorrow.
“I am the type of person if Kris is going to be somewhere, if I can get there I’ll go,” she said. “If he’s going to be at the community center tomorrow, I’ll go.”
She couldn’t say whether it was about the Senate race. “I don’t know that.”
Meanwhile on Saturday, Kobach dismissed reports that national Republicans would weigh in against him if he runs for the Senate in order to avoid losing the seat to a Democrat.
Kobach just lost the 2018 governor’s race to Democrat Laura Kelly, and there’s fear that the former secretary of state is so divisive he might put the Senate seat now held by Pat Roberts at risk.
The Kobach gubernatorial campaign during the general election last year was a “disaster,” said Republican consultant Jared Suhn.
“They lost a race that was entirely winnable for the GOP and we shouldn’t give them the chance to lose another,” Suhn said.
“With all that Republicans are facing next cycle, the last thing we need is another Kobach debacle, which distracts and divides us.”
Kobach said he didn’t “put a whole lot of stock” into a recent published report suggesting that national Republicans would work against him if he runs for Senate.
“Until people are actually named — this person, this senator — I don’t buy it,” he said.
Kobach said he was suspect of unnamed National Republican Senate Committee officials quoted as saying they would work to ensure that he doesn’t make it past the primary.
His comments come at just about the time when Spectator USA, an offshoot of the British Magazine the Spectator, reported that he would make a decision to run for the Senate.
The website quotes a “well-placed” source as saying that Kobach said he would announce a run for the Senate in early July.
In case you lost track of the date, it’s early July.
Kelly family nuptials
This one seemed to slip by everyone in the Kansas media corps.
But nevertheless, a belated congratulations to Gov. Laura Kelly on the marriage of her daughter, Kathleen Daughety, to Mathias Weiden in May.
Kelly let word of the wedding out last week on KCUR’s “Up to Date” with Steve Kraske as she discussed juggling state priorities with familial responsibilities.
The wedding was held May 25 at the governor’s mansion in Topeka, according to the announcement in The New York Times.
The couple both earned master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania, where they met.
Daughety, 34, works for Uber in New York as a senior manager in the food-delivery unit. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas.
Weiden, 33, works for the meal-delivery service HelloFresh as a senior operations director. He earned a degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
We all know what the bride’s mom does for a living. And her father is a pulmonologist and sleep specialist.
The groom’s mom is an accountant and the senior managing director for tax at the LeFrak Organization, a real estate company in New York. The groom’s father is an engineer and a senior partner at Jaros Baum & Bolles in New York.
Kelly to Wagle: ‘Hogwash’
A couple weeks ago, Senate President Susan Wagle questioned Gov. Laura Kelly’s readiness to be governor.
The Wichita Republican said she didn’t think the governor had a seasoned staff who understand the depths of public policy.
“I don’t expect her to be there long,” Wagle said at a GOP event in Hutchinson.
The governor had a one word response: “Hogwash.”
Kelly was asked about Wagle’s comments last week on KCUR’s “Up to Date.” The conversation about Wagle starts at about the 9:20 mark of the interview.
Kelly defended her staff against Wagle’s comments, saying the Senate president is posturing to run for U.S. Senate.
“We have put together a team — both inside the state government but also outside — to ensure that we can move forward with our agenda, which I believe strongly is the agenda of the Kansas people,” Kelly said.
“Up to Date” host Steve Kraske pressed the issue, asking the governor about her impression of Wagle’s remarks.
He asked the governor directly whether Wagle let politics get in the way of doing her job as president.
“I’ve never known President Wagle to be any other way than the way that she was this session,” Kelly told Kraske.
“Meaning highly political?” Kraske asked.
“I think she sees that as her role. I don’t see my role as an elected official to be in there fighting for my political party or an ideology, but rather to do the work needed by the citizens of Kansas,” Kelly said.
“Susan and I just have a very different approach to governing.”
Evolving voting demographics
A new study produced by a coalition of authors from the Brookings Institution, the Center for American Progress and the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group shows some interesting trends in voting demographics nationally and in Kansas.
And while some of these groups tend to lean to the political left, we thought the data was interesting enough to put out there, especially as it relates to Kansas.
Among other things, the study found that the Democratic and Republican parties “were more compositionally different in 2016 than at any point in the prior 36 years.”
It was “the first presidential election white noncollege voters did not make up a plurality of both parties’ coalitions, with white college voters exceeding the share of white noncollege voters in the Democratic coalition,” the study states.
Nonwhites will continue to make up a greater share of both parties’ coalitions, especially Hispanics.
By 2032, Hispanic voters will pass African American voters as the largest overall nonwhite voting group.
And by 2036, African American voters “will make up a larger share of the Democratic coalition than white noncollege voters.”
Meanwhile, the study forecasts that white noncollege voters will decline as a share of both parties through 2036.
Here’s how the study broke down for Kansas:
White noncollege voters are expected to drop from 52% of the Kansas electorate in 2016 to 44% by 2036.
The decline among this group of voters is sharpest among Republicans — it is forecast to decline from 62% of all GOP voters to 55% in 2036.
Among Democrats, it is expected to drop to 30% in 2036 from 36% in 2016.
Hispanic voters will surpass other nonwhite groups by 2020, making up 6% of Kansas voters compared to African American voters (5%) and Asian voters (3%).
As of 2016, African American and Hispanic voters each made up 5% of the electorate, according to the state study. Asian voters made up 3% percent of the electorate in 2016.
By 2036, the study forecast that Hispanic voters will comprise 10% of Kansas voters compared to 6% for African American voters and 5% for Asian voters.
Here’s a link to the study if you want to dig deeper into the data.
U.S. Senate race heats up
In a move that wasn’t entirely unexpected, former U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate.
Rumors have been circulating for several weeks that Grissom was hiring campaign staff as he readied himself for a Senate run.
On Tuesday, he tweeted that he raised $185,000 within a day of announcing his candidacy.
Grissom joined former one-term Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, who also said last week that she would run for the Senate but whose name has been out there as a likely candidate for the Senate for several months.
Of course, there’s also state Sen. Barbara Bollier who is strongly considering a run.
So we could have a three-way Democratic primary — at least — next year as a crowd forms to replace Pat Roberts in the Senate.
Estes fundraising
Republican Congressman Ron Estes reported raising $375,000 in the second quarter of this year with more than $520,000 in the bank.
The 4th District congressman raised about $189,000 in the first quarter ending March 31. At the end of the first quarter, Estes reported having about $323,000 in cash on hand.
Federal campaign finance reports are due July 15.
“This impressive fundraising haul reinforces what many in Kansas already know — that Ron Estes is a recognized leader and is working hard to be Kansans’ voice in Congress,” Estes’ finance chairman, Josh Bell, said in a statement.
“This strong level of financial support will make sure that Ron Estes continues to serve in Congress as a champion for Kansas.”
AG closes part of Senate open-meetings probe
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office ended part of its investigation into the Senate’s decision to close the chamber while authorities dealt with protesters on the last day of the session.
The Capital-Journal reported last week that the attorney general’s office found that it did not have the authority to address allegations that the Senate didn’t adhere to its rules and crossed the bounds of the First Amendment.
Senate President Susan Wagle created an open-meetings storm when the chamber was closed to reporters covering protesters singing and chanting for Medicaid expansion in the gallery.
Wagle said the chamber was cleared for safety reasons.
Marshall on the border
Republican Congressman Roger Marshall has been making the rounds with Kansas media discussing conditions on the border for holding immigrants trying to get into the United States.
Marshall, a physician, is generally satisfied with the treatment that migrants are receiving on the border. Here’s coverage from the KC Star and The Associated Press. Here’s Marshall in his own words that he wrote for Fox News.
More on new consulting firm
Last week, we reported on a new political consulting firm that was starting in Johnson County. For that story, we were not able to reach its founders, Elizabeth Arnold and Allison Polanis.
Both served on the steering committee of Stand Up Blue Valley, which supported moderate Republicans and Democratic candidates.
Arnold responded to a couple questions by email, and this is how she explained their efforts.
“We are former SUBV steering committee members who became aware of candidate needs that weren’t being addressed,” she wrote. “After working with endorsed candidates, we learned what worked (and what didn’t.)
“Allison and I are open to working with Democratic candidates at any level but want to make sure we’re a good fit for the candidate, and that our solutions will add value to their campaign.”
Medicaid expansion news
Some Medicaid expansion news from around the country for folks who are deeply vested in the issue.
The work requirement compromise that led to New Hampshire passing Medicaid expansion is running into a snag — beyond the legal challenge it’s now facing in federal court.
About 20,000 people either have not reported their employment or filed for an exemption. The work requirement started June 1. Sunday (July 7) is the last day Medicaid beneficiaries can show proof that they have met the requirement.
Meanwhile, the Arkansas Hospital Association last week filed a court brief arguing that reinstating the state’s work requirement for expanded Medicaid coverage would hurt low-income residents and drive up health care costs.
The association was joined in its brief by the American College of Physicians, the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association, among others.
The brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which is being asked to uphold a lower-court ruling that struck down the work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky.
The Kentucky Hospital Association, however, filed a brief with the federal appeals court supporting the work requirement.
STAR bonds
The Kansas City Star revives questions over STAR bonds, the powerful economic tool used to help finance Kansas Speedway and the neighboring Village West retail complex.
This is not a new issue for Kansas policymakers. They’ve been addressing questions about the value of STAR bonds for close to 20 years, most recently in 2018 when they considered legislation that would have restricted their use.
Noneconomic damages
The Star looks at the implications of the recent Kansas Supreme Court decision that struck down the cap on noneconomic damages as it related only to medical malpractice. Not many legal eagles in Kansas are ready to talk about the issue publicly at this point, so the state’s path is still unclear on this topic.
