Good morning everyone,
We are now just about four weeks out from the general election (and the start of college basketball season), and most of the heat so far has come from the congressional races in the 2nd and 3rd Districts, which both are at risk of going Democratic.
It was a busy week with new revelations calling into question Republican Steve Watkins’ background and Republican Congressman Kevin Yoder getting aggressive about his challenger’s unwillingness to appear at forums organized by community groups.
But you likely know all that, so let’s try to give you a roundup of some news that may not have grabbed your attention.
Angry 3rd District
No congressional district in Kansas wants to see a change of direction more than the 3rd District, according to a new poll out last week.
About 53 percent of those polled by Remington Research said they think the country is on the wrong track.
The general level of discontent is higher than in any other congressional district in the state. It was 48 percent in the 2nd District, 47 percent in the 4th and 45 in the Big 1st.
Evidence of 3rd District antipathy toward what’s happening right now can be traced down into some of the statewide races that are playing out in Kansas.
While the Republican candidates for secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general and insurance commissioner hold commanding leads, they aren’t faring as well in the 3rd District.
In the attorney general’s race, Democrat Sarah Swain, who has been renounced by her own party, performs better in the 3rd District against Republican incumbent Derek Schmidt than anywhere else in the state, the poll shows.
Swain, a Lawrence attorney, drew 43 percent from 3rd District voters in the poll, compared to 46 percent for Schmidt. Overall, Schmidt leads Swain statewide by 17 points in the Remington poll.
Republican state Sen. Vicki Schmidt also fares worse in the poll in the 3rd District, even though she holds a 20 point-lead over Democrat Nathaniel McLaughlin in the race for insurance commissioner.
Schmidt had support from 51 percent or better in the 1st, 2nd and 4th Congressional Districts. But Schmidt, a moderate Republican, only attracted 47 percent in the 3rd and led McLaughlin by 11 points.
Republican Scott Schwab has 9 percentage point lead statewide over Democrat Brian McClendon in the secretary of state’s race, the poll shows.
However, Schwab is running just five points ahead of McClendon in the 3rd District with support from 43 percent of those polled.
The survey shows Schwab running behind McClendon in the 2nd District, which includes the Democrat’s hometown of Lawrence.
Treasurer Jake LaTurner also fared worse in the 2nd District than he did in the 3rd against Democrat Marci Francisco. LaTurner trailed Francisco in the 2nd District but led overall statewide by 10 points.
In the 3rd, LaTurner led Francisco by 5 points, but in the 1st he was up by 13 and in the 4th led by double digits as well.
DCF overburdened
New out Sunday, the Kansas City Star reports that Kansas social service workers in the Department for Children and Families investigating abuse and neglect are handling more than twice as many cases as they’re supposed to handle. The Star reports that case workers are supposed to carry a max of 15 cases. The average statewide is 38. Another story in the continuing problems that beset the agency.
Good news for Southwest Chief
Amid all the political hubbub last week, it was learned that Amtrak is planning to keep Southwest Chief train service through Kansas intact for fiscal 2019 — at least.
Amtrak executives told members of a Senate committee Wednesday that they would not replace train service with buses from Dodge City to Albuquerque for 2019.
Amtrak had been looking at an alternative to train service because it needs an estimated $30 million to $50 million for upgrades — plus $3 million in annual maintenance — on the track owned by BNSF but used exclusively for passenger rail.
The Southwest Chief runs daily between Chicago and Los Angeles with stops in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California. In Kansas, train stops include Lawrence, Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.
Here’s a rundown of coverage from the Manhattan Mercury, the Garden City Telegram, the Newton Kansan and The Associated Press. Also, Bloomberg provides this nice overall look at the situation.
Earthquake prevention
Kansas News Service produced this intriguing story last week about a Stanford study that shows how limiting wastewater injection wells might reduce earthquakes. Researchers have developed a model that can forecast the probability of quakes by examining how the “rate of injection-induced pressure increases at any given location.” It’s a story that is worth a read.
Dyslexia task force update
Very little has been reported about the work of the state’s dyslexia task force. Kansas News Service’s Celia Llopis-Jepsen picks up the baton and offers up this nice package that explores the issue confronting educators.
Kelly’s D.C. fundraising
Former Congressmen Dan Glickman and Jim Slattery as well as former Gov. Mark Parkinson hosted a D.C. fundraiser for Democrat Laura Kelly in the Kansas governor’s race last week.
Among those hosting the fundraiser was Madeleine McDonough, chairwoman of the Shook, Hardy & Bacon law firm. She was ranked by the Kansas City Business Journal as one of Kansas City’s 100 most influential people. Other hosts included former Congressman Dennis Moore’s chief of staff Howard Bauleke, political consultant Hayley Rumback and Roshan Patel, executive director of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association.
The fundraiser last Thursday night was held at Shook’s Washington office. “Hosts” contributed $2,000, while “sponsors” gave $1,000. “Patrons” gave $500, while “guests” contributed $250.
Utility fundraiser
This came across our desk recently. AT&T and Westar will be hosting a fundraiser for Republican members of the Senate utilities committee after the election. The event is schedule for Nov. 16. Former Gov. Sam Brownback’s chief of staff, David Kensinger, will be hosting the event, according to an email sent out.
New governor’s race ads
The Republican Governors Association rolled out a new ad last week attacking “Liberal Laura Kelly.” It combats one recently produced by the Kansas Values Institute that’s been running in areas of the state.
Kelly’s campaign issued this reponse to the RGA ad: “These false and misleading attacks are from the same out-of-state group who spent millions to elect and re-elect Sam Brownback. They are committed to helping Kris Kobach continue the Brownback experiment that devastated our state.”
And the Kansas Values Institute ad sounds a similar theme.
Colyer appoints judge
Gov. Jeff Colyer has appointed Gerald Kuckelman of Atchison as a District Judge in the 1st District. He will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gunnar Sundby.
Kuckelman serves as the Atchison County attorney, a position to which he was first elected in 2000. He also maintains a private practice and serves as a municipal judge for several Northeast Kansas communities.
He previously served as an assistant attorney general with the Kansas attorney general’s office and was named the Kansas Prosecutor of the Year in 2011.
He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Washburn University.
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