Category: Election 2018

by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Kansas News Service

Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder’s most recent campaign finance report shows him far ahead of challengers in raising funds to hold the seat representing Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

In the race to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins in a district covering Topeka, Lawrence and much of the rest of eastern Kansas, the lone Democrat enjoys a money advantage over Republicans who first must elbow past each other.

Both races have drawn national attention, and money from national party groups, amid the belief that it’s plausible for seats long held by Republicans to shift to Democrats in the first election since President Donald Trump took office.

That possibility drew a large group of Democrats angling for a shot to take down Yoder.

Jenkins’ decision not to seek re-election attracted Paul Davis, who won the district in his failed attempt to be elected governor four years ago. It also drew a large field of Republicans.

Races in both districts have drawn interest from independent expenditure committees, groups that don’t give directly to candidates and are unlimited in what they can spend. They also face far fewer disclosure requirements.

Here is a summary of candidate resources based on the latest Federal Election Commission filings covering their activities through June.

2nd District

Davis has pulled well ahead in the money race, leaving behind a crowd of Republican hopefuls jostling for resources.

The Davis campaign has taken in $1.5 million with almost $900,000 still on hand.

His money comes mostly from individual donors. Among the $270,000 he’s pulled in from political action committees, much of it comes from labor unions, Democratic coalitions and education groups.

The three Republican candidates who’ve raised the most money are Steve Watkins and state senators Caryn Tyson and Steve Fitzgerald.

Watkins reported around $615,000 and has spent less than half of it. He loaned the bulk of that money — $475,000 — to his campaign.

Tyson has about $470,000 and has spent less than $70,000. She lent or gave a little less than half of that to her campaign, which is pulling in money from groups like the Kansas Bankers Association and the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List.

Fitzgerald reported about $445,000, including the $300,000 he lent himself.

3rd District

The gap in fundraising is even wider In the 3rd District, where the incumbent is seeking another term.

Yoder’s receipts topped $2.7 million — with $1.8 million still on hand — compared to the less than $6,500 that fellow Republican Trevor Keegan pulled in.

Yoder hasn’t broken into his own piggy bank. He’s drawing from Republican Party political action committees, the banking and finance industry, and other major corporate givers, such as AT&T, Delta Airlines and Koch Industries.

In the Democratic primary, Tom Niermann, Brent Welder and Silvia Williams have amassed the most resources.

Niermann took in nearly $700,000 — almost entirely in the form of gifts from individual donors — and has about $385,000 on hand.

Welder reported a little more than $670,000 — including about $55,000 he loaned the campaign — and has $400,000 on hand. His donors include unions and Democratic groups.

Sylvia Williams’ campaign has more than $230,000 on hand of a total $311,000 in receipts. That includes nearly $260,000 in loans from the candidate.

Note: This story has been updated. An earlier version listed incorrect fundraising totals for two candidates.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.
See more at http://www.kcur.org/post/yoder-far-ahead-kansas-3rd-district-money-game-davis-holds-fundraising-edge-2nd-district

by Jim McLean, Kansas News Service

A Republican state senator who endorsed a Democrat for Congress and criticized Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer’s health policies is paying a hefty political price for speaking her mind.

Senate President Susan Wagle announced last week that she had stripped Sen. Barbara Bollier, a moderate from Mission Hills, of her leadership position on the Senate health committee.

That action, according to a letter that Bollier received Thursday, also makes her ineligible to serve on a joint committee charged with overseeing KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, and task forces created to address the opioid crisis and problems in the child welfare system.

Wagle said Bollier’s endorsement of Tom Niermann, one of several Democrats competing for the right to challenge 3rd District Republican Congressman Kevin Yoder, left her with “no choice.”

“Senator Bollier has lost credibility within our caucus, which makes it impossible for her to function in a leadership role,” Wagle said in a media release.

The Senate President’s office said Sen. Ty Masterson, head of the conservative Truth Caucus, would replace Bollier on the child welfare task force and the KanCare oversight committee.

Bollier has long been at odds with her party’s conservative leadership but has become particularly outspoken recently on hot-button issues such as gun control and Medicaid expansion.

“The more of this they do to me the more I know I’m doing the right thing,” Bollier said in an interview Friday.

Though she’s no longer a member, Bollier said she would continue to attend task force and oversight committee meetings.

The senator went to Thursday’s meeting of the governor’s Substance Use Disorder Task Force in Topeka not realizing that she was no longer a member. At the meeting, Bollier continued her criticism of the Colyer administration for refusing to include an expansion of Medicaid eligibility in the task force’s policy recommendations.

Rep. Elizabeth Bishop, a Wichita Democrat and member of the task force, said Bollier’s removal will “hinder” the work of the group, which is scheduled to deliver recommendations to the governor by Sept. 1.

“It’s shortsighted,” Bishop said. “She will be missed.”

Bishop herself caused a stir at Thursday’s meeting by pressing Greg Lakin, the state’s chief medical officer and chair of the task force, on why discussions about Medicaid expansion at previous meetings weren’t reflected in the minutes.

She said several members of the working group, which includes representatives of the state’s hospitals and physicians, are planning to issue a written dissent if the official recommendations don’t include expansion.

“That will definitely be done,” Bishop said.

In guiding the task force, Lakin said it’s his job to keep members focused on developing affordable and politically viable recommendations.

“I’m just trying to keep us on task,” Lakin said.

Colyer, the force behind the state’s privatization of Medicaid in 2013 when he was Gov. Sam Brownback’s lieutenant governor, is opposed to expanding Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act even though it would substantially increase federal funding. He has said extending coverage to approximately 150,000 low-income but “able-bodied” Kansans would make them more dependent on government and less likely to work.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.
See more at http://www.kcur.org/post/kansas-senator-continues-pay-price-break-gop-leadership.