(Updated to include obituary of revisor emeritus; adds new comments from Sunday from Davids to Kansas City Star)
Happy Sunday everyone:
Time to take a breather after a most intriguing week that saw two gubernatorial debates, a House candidate arrested and charged with election perjury and new details revealed about abuse allegations levied against another House candidate.
On a positive note, the NFL season starts today. The bad side: The state won’t be collecting any revenue from wagering on NFL games.
But put it in this context. By the time Election Day gets here, you should well know what kind of season the Chiefs (or your fantasy team) are having and what kind of campaign your candidate of choice ran. But let’s not get sidetracked and get started with this week’s Sunday wrap.
Davids and ICE
Democratic candidate Sharice Davids just can’t escape the comments she made in a podcast that suggested she wanted to get rid of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (And really no one else can either, since the ads are running on TV every morning, noon and night.)
The issue is just not going away any time soon and risks becoming a defining moment in this race, much like Michael Dukakis riding around in a tank did in 1988 and George H.W. Bush’s pledge not to raise taxes did four years later.
The Associated Press’ John Hanna did a fact check on whether Davids supports abolishing ICE. Fox News also looked at the controversy over the ad. And here’s an insightful Washington Post story on the issue. Also, KMBC’s Micheal Mahoney offered up this report.
On Sunday, Davids turned to the editorial page of the Kansas City Star to address the matter. She told the Star’s opinion writers that she didn’t feel like she was articulate in the interview she gave on the podcast. Now, if she would only say whether she attended Nancy Pelosi’s donor conference last month.
Assorted Kansas 3rd District news
In other news from the 3rd District race, there’s this overview from Roll Call last week as well as a McClatchy story revealing that a state Republican Party official played the part of a fearful mom in super political action committee ad criticizing Sharice Davids. Meanwhile, Roll Call has added incumbent Republican Congressman Kevin Yoder to its top 10 list of most vulnerable House members.
Teen candidate speaks out
With a race as close as the Kansas Republican gubernatorial primary, there’s bound to be a lot of second guessing of every little thing that could have made a difference.
Secretary of State Kris Kobach edged Gov. Jeff Colyer by several hundred votes, raising questions about whether those teen candidates were nothing more than spoilers who handed the primary to Kobach.
But Shawnee Mission North Senior Tyler Ruzich isn’t ready to go down in Kansas history as the Ralph Nader of his generation.
Here’s an interesting piece he wrote last week for the Kansas City Star about his candidacy for governor, rightfully questioning: Did he make a difference, or was it the many thousands of other Kansans who stayed at home on primary day?
Niermann campaign manager joins Kansas Dems
Zach Helder, who ran Democrat Tom Niermann’s congressional campaign in the 3rd District, has landed at the Kansas Democratic Party.
Helder will plan and oversee the party’s messaging strategy for the final 60 days of the election cycle. He also will serve as the party’s spokesman for the congressional races in the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts.
In 2016, Helder was traveling press lead for Hillary Clinton, managing the traveling press corps and local press presence at hundreds of media events across the country.
He also was a national organizer of the Women’s March on Washington. He also worked for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s re-election campaign in 2012.
Helder earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California Los Angeles and was nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship in 2016. He is a native of Prairie Village.
“Zach understands Kansas voters, and knows how to connect with them in a way that transcends partisan boundaries and strikes directly at what really matters to them,” said Ethan Corson, the party’s executive director.
“I’m thrilled to have his advice and help as we make our closing arguments to the people of Kansas.”
Kansas 2nd moves toward Dems
In case you missed it, CNN’s political gurus moved the Kansas 2nd Congressional District toward the Democrats by moving it from the “leans Republican” column to the “toss-up” category.
The CNN analysis suggests that Republican gubernatorial nominee Kris Kobach could hurt GOP nominee Steve Watkin in this race against Democrat Paul Davis, who won the district when he ran for governor in 2014. Also, here’s a piece out of Roll Call providing an overview of the race.
State Fair campaigning
While the main event Saturday at the Kansas State Fair was the gubernatorial showdown between Kris Kobach, Laura Kelly and Greg Orman, other candidates also had a chance to pitch their message. Here’s a piece out of the Hutch News about a new State Fair feature where other candidates could give a 10-minute stump speech and spend 10 minutes answering questions.
Longtime revisor passes
Longtime revisor Norman Furse passed away last week, according to an obit that surfaced on social media Sunday. He was 76.
Furse, according to the obituary, worked as an attorney for the revisor’s office for 49 years, including 17 as the revisor.
He most recently served as revisor emeritus. His subject areas included economic development and commerce; health and human services; labor and employment; mental Health and developmental disabilities.
Statehouse lobbyist Whitney Damron paid tribute to Furse on Twitter Sunday. “Norm was a statehouse institution and his counsel will be great missed,” Damron tweeted.
Lobbyist Rob Mealey added this on Twitter: “Norm was a great source of wisdom and a kind man. He will be missed.”
A funeral service is set for 11 a.m. Sept. 14. Visitation will be one hour before at Mount Hope Cemetery, Funeral Chapel and Reception Center, 4700 SW 17th St. in Topeka
The family will host a reception following the interment in the Mount Hope Chapel.
Kansas House races lacking competition
Just 58 of the 125 Kansas House seats will have competitive races this year, and it’s even fewer if you take out the half-dozen or so Libertarians who haven’t raised a dime and are going up against better-known and well-financed incumbents. WIBW in Topeka takes a look at the issue.
Sports gambling
A new development for Kansas policymakers to watch on sports gambling.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York has developed a proposal for Congress to consider as a framework for regulating sports betting.
It’s something that will be worth watching as the 2019 legislative session draws near. Here’s coverage from Forbes, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Fox News and Reuters.
Injection well permitting
This issue could be headed to the Capitol after the Kansas Corporation Commission turned down a request for the state to revoke permits for more than 2,000 injection wells because the public wasn’t given sufficient time to comment.
The commission found that questions raised about legal notices showing a 15-day period for comment instead of the required 30 days had very little affect on the permitting. Environmentalists who raised the issue say it’s time to turn to Topeka for help. Here’s coverage from the AP and the Capital-Journal.
There also was this story of note from the Lawrence Journal-World about a KCC commissioner recusing himself from the case because of potential conflict of interest, although environmentalists are worried about future conflicts.
Lobbyist in line for award
Melissa Ness, founder and principle of the Topeka-based Connections Unlimited, is a finalist for Excellence in Advocacy by a Veteran Practitioner.
It’s an award given by the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference. Ness is being recognized for her achievements and contributions to the industry throughout her career.
Ness was nominated by the Children’s Alliance of Kansas.
Ness “is not just another wildly successful consultant with numerous legislative achievements and a distinguished career advocating for children, women and the underserved,” the alliance wrote in its nomination.
“She’s a nationally recognized expert for her practical and academic understanding of designing successful public policy initiatives,” the alliance said.
“From successfully advocating for adequate child welfare funding by instituting a system of caseload estimating to chairing the Children’s Cabinet where she advised the governor and the Legislature regarding millions of dollars in the Children’s Initiatives Fund, Melissa delivers.”
