Good morning everyone:
For those counting, just 17 days before the general election.
So much to cover after a hectic week that saw Vice President Mike Pence come to town, Republican Kris Kobach generating a series of different headlines (welfare reform, chamber of commerce endorsement, keeping a video locked up), and Paul Davis and Steve Watkins tangling in a debate in the 2nd Congressional District.
Now onto news that may not have been on your radar as we move into the last two weeks of the general election campaign.
High noon in Dodge City
The story out of Dodge City, where the lone polling place was moved to an out-of-town location, is starting to gain some traction.
Early last week, the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns, pointing out that the polling site served about 13,100 voters, “making it one of the most burdened polling places in all of Kansas.” By comparison, the ACLU said the average Kansas polling site serves 1,200 voters.
The issue is compounded by the fact that Dodge City is in one of Kansas’ few majority-minority counties, where more than 50 percent of the population is Hispanic, the ACLU said.
The ACLU has called on the Ford County clerk to open more voting sites and explain why they were closed in the first place.
On Saturday, the Democrats used the occasion to raise money and recruit volunteers to make sure Dodge City voters can get to the polls Nov. 6.
“The decision to move the single polling place in Dodge City to an out-of-town location more than a mile away from the nearest bus stop is an act of voter suppression, plain and simple,” said Ethan Corson, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party.
There were a number of stories about this issue through the week. Check out coverage from The Associated Press, the Hutchinson News and KSN Television.
Orman still pursuing victory
Nothing gets Democrats more riled these days than independent candidate Greg Orman’s refusal to bow out of the governor’s race, knowing that he could draw support away from Democrat Laura Kelly.
Well, this story from the Lawrence Journal-World’s Peter Hancock makes it clear once again that Orman isn’t going anywhere.
The story is more of a profile but when asked if he is backing out, Orman says bluntly: “We’re not looking at that.” He adds, “I believe that there is a pathway to win this thing.”
He also tells the Wichita State Sunflower that he’s in the race until the end, saying he’s heard dozens of rumors about him dropping out. Here’s a little more Orman coverage from the Hays Post with a piece by Roy Wenzl, formerly of the Wichita Eagle.
Executive branch tweeting
President Donald Trump is well known for his tweeting at all times of the day on a wide range of subjects, many times angering his detractors.
Each of the three major candidates for Kansas governor — Republican Kris Kobach, Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Greg Orman — shared their thoughts last week about how they would use the social media platform if elected.
Here’s what they said during last week’s debate in Wichita. Of course, the candidates turned it into more of a discussion about government transparency than their tweeting habits.
Orman (@gregorman; 6,230 followers): “I think we need to figure out ways to continue to communicate with voters. I am not a very prolific tweeter, but I do tweet occasionally. I do think we need to open up the governor’s office to the people of Kansas.
“I don’t believe I am going to do that through Twitter. What we’ve talked about is having weekly office hours for the governor where anybody who wants to talk to the governor has the ability to come in and make an appointment. I’d like to do weekly legislative breakfasts where the people’s representatives have the opportunity to come in. I want to do monthly town hall meetings across the state.”
Kobach (@KrisKobach1787; 17,400 followers): “I am not sure if I will be doing any tweeting. I do a minimal amount now; in fact, my staff does it for me most of the time, occasionally with my approval. The key question is how open will the governor be in sharing his or her ideas, in sharing his or her thoughts about policy and reacting to things that are happening. I am very open. As many of you know, I write a column, roughly weekly, for Breitbart and talk about all kinds of political issues. As secretary of state, I’ve been more open, more accessible than your average statewide official. I take every interview I can.”
Kelly (@SenatorKelly; 9,516 followers): “I would tweet, except my staff took my phone away from me. Yes, I do tweet, but my topics are different and probably not nearly as controversial as the ones you’re thinking of. I think my style of leadership lends itself to openness. I have always worked in a very collaborative way with folks, and I will continue to do that whether it’s my legislative colleagues, or it’s the general public, or it’s advocacy groups. They know in a Kelly administration, they will have a place at the table. They will be part of the discussion. They will be part of the decision-making process. I think that’s the way Kansans want it.”
Legislative races: A national look
We’re all so caught up with what’s going on in our own backyard, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s going on elsewhere across the country.
The National Conference of State Legislatures has a nifty page tracking statehouse races nationally.
The site gives you a sense of the balance of power in legislatures nationally. Going into the general election, 4,101 seats are held by Republicans, 3,118 are held by Democrats and 164 seats are held by independents, members of minor parties or are vacant.
Roger Marshall skips out on vice president
Republican Congressman Roger Marshall missed Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Wichita last week. But he had a good reason. He wanted to meet his commitment to Republican House candidate Barbara Wasinger to attend the Red Wave Gala for Ellis County Republicans.
Wasinger is running against Democrat Eber Phelps in the 111th District, which went for President Donald Trump by 71 percent two years ago and for former Gov. Sam Brownback by 52 percent in 2014.
Glickman campaigns with Thompson
Former Kansas Congressman Dan Glickman hit the road with Democrat James Thompson as he campaigned this weekend in the 4th Congressional District, where he faces Republican incumbent Ron Estes. Here’s an account from the Hutch News’ Mary Clarkin.
A bad joke?
Outgoing Republican state Rep. John Whitmer of Wichita caused a buzz last week when he posted the wrong day for voting on Facebook in jest.
He said Republicans vote Nov. 6 while Democrats vote Nov. 8. Whitmer said it was a joke. The humor was lost on others. The real date is Nov. 6.
Television station WIBW thought it was a story and here it is. Whitmer ultimately removed the post.
Whitmer lost his primary against J.C. Moore in House District 93 last August.
Kobach on Osawatomie hospital
Republican Kris Kobach last week weighed in on the future of Osawatomie State Hospital. Kobach said he favors letting a private company rebuild and run the facility. His gubernatorial rivals — Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Greg Orman — have different ideas. Here’s the story from John Hanna at The Associated Press.
Kobach and Yoder: Two approaches to immigration
KCUR takes a look at the two approaches Republican Kris Kobach and Republican Kevin Yoder take on immigration in their respective races.
The story finds that Kobach is more uncompromising than Yoder, who tends to take a softer approach on the issue, not so surprising since Yoder represents a district that’s cool on Kobach and President Donald Trump.
Governor’s race and Medicaid expansion
Kansas News Service examines the implications for expanding Medicaid in the Kansas governor’s race. Republican Kris Kobach opposes expansion. Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Greg Orman support it. Here’s the story, which also includes an audio feed if listening is more your bag.
New Davis ads
Democrat Paul Davis rolled out two new ads at the end of last week, one portraying him as a fiscally responsible lawmaker and a second capitalizing on all the questions about Republican Steve Watkins’ resume. In case you haven’t seen them or don’t live in that market, here they are:
Davis/responsible
Davis/anti-Watkins ad
