Besides the presidential election and the U.S. Senate contest, there are some interesting contests in Wyandotte County on Tuesday’s general election ballot.
Some of the most contested elections here this year include the state senate, state representative and U.S. representative races.
A couple of them involve moderate candidates challenging more conservative officeholders.
U.S. House, 3rd District
Jay Sidie, a Mission Woods Democrat, is running against Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, for the 3rd District Congressional seat. Steven Hohe, a Libertarian from Shawnee, also is running for the office. To read a story about this contest, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/close-contest-could-be-developing-for-u-s-house-3rd-district-this-year/.
State Senate, 5th District
In the state Senate, 5th District, challenger Democrat Bill Hutton will face incumbent Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-Leavenworth. Hutton is a Wyandotte County resident who lives near the Leavenworth County line. To read a story about their appearance in a candidate forum, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/candidates-offer-differing-views-in-5th-district-state-senate-contest/.
State Senate, 6th District
In the state Senate, 6th District, Sen. Pat Pettey, a Democrat, faces a general election challenge from Libertarian, Jason Conley. To view a story about their appearance at a candidate forum, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/libertarian-challenges-democratic-incumbent-in-state-senate-6th-district-contest/.
State representative, 36th District
For state representative, 36th District, conservative challenger Kevin Braun is running against incumbent Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, D-36th Dist. To read a story about their appearance in a candidate forum, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/conservative-newcomer-challenges-moderate-incumbent-in-36th-district-kansas-house/.
U.S. Senate contest
For the U.S. Senate, incumbent Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican, is challenged by Patrick Wiesner, a Democrat from Lawrence. Robert D. Garrard, a Libertarian from Edgerton, also is running for Senate. The candidate did not attend a Wyandotte County forum in October.
Sen. Moran, who grew up in Plainville, Kan., was elected to the Senate in 2010. According to his campaign information, he is in favor of reducing spending, balancing the budget, and has opposed an increase in the tax burden.
He answered a question about gun control in a town hall appearance in Kansas City, Kan., earlier this year. He said that he worries that when the solution is a restriction on guns, that the rights would be taken away of the people who abide by the law, and it doesn’t change the availability of guns to people who don’t care about the law.
On immigration, Sen. Moran said immigration needs to be better handled by the federal government. He said America wants to be welcoming people who are in danger and who are fleeing their countries because of fear of persecution. He talked about a need for proper vetting, and said there was a need to find out who is a threat and keep them out of the country, but religion is not a criterion on which people should be judged, he said.
Sen. Moran said that clean air and water are important, and the question is how to do it so it isn’t damaging to people and the economy. He also said he was in favor of legislation that would help startup entrepreneurs.
Wiesner has served as a tax attorney in Overland Park and formerly as a U.S. Army lawyer. He holds a bachelor’s in accounting from Fort Hays State University, a Master of Business Administration from Fort Hays, and a law degree from the University of Kansas. He formerly ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014.
His campaign information stated that he favors paying off the $19.4 trillion federal debt within 25 to 30 years. Wiesner favors an immigration reform plan that would establish facilities that undocumented residents would travel to in northern Mexico, apply for legal status, then re-enter the United States legally, his campaign information stated. The residents would be charged a fee to cover the costs of the facilities and processing.
Wiesner believes that a conversion to nuclear power is the answer to global warming, according to his campaign information. Wind-generated power is part of his plan for providing electricity, but nuclear and fossil fuels also would be necessary because wind is unreliable, his campaign information stated.
For more information, visit:
moranforkansas.com/
www.wiesnerforsenate.com/
www.robertgarrard.org/
School bond election
Also on the ballot is a school bond election for the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools. To read a previous story about it, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/kckps-235-million-bond-issue-wont-increase-taxes-officials-say/.
Where to vote
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Voters may check their polling place at Voter View, https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView/.
For more information on polling places and election hours, visit www.WycoVotes.org or call the election office at 913-573-8500.
Free bus service Tuesday
The Kansas City ATA has announced that all RideKC bus routes will be free on Tuesday, Nov. 8, to make it easier for citizens to vote in the general election. KCATA paratransit offered by KCATA also will be free to ride on Tuesday.
Recent polls in Kansas
A poll from the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, taken from Nov. 1 through Nov. 3, showed that in Kansas, Donald Trump held a 24-point lead over Hillary Clinton, 58 percent to 34 percent.
The poll also showed Sen. Moran leading Wiesner, 77 percent to 13 percent, with Garrard at 10 percent.
The Fort Hays State poll also showed a close contest possible for Kansas Supreme Court justices. The poll found about 40 percent of likely voters said they would retain all Kansas Supreme Court justices, with 25 percent retaining some and 24 percent retaining none.
The poll had a margin of error of 5.5 percent.