Hundreds of thousands of progressive Democratic activists across the country and beyond our shores regularly contribute to United States Senate campaigns occurring somewhere not where they live. Some lesser number gives to distant United States House of Representatives campaigns. But to awaken Kansas native prairie grass roots, one would have to start WAY far down ballot. Do start. For among the red states, Kansas has one of the most highly-educated populations. A bit of an outlier. So Kansas is sometimes seen as one of the next swing states. (Link) And for Kansas Democrats, mighty oaks from little acorns grow.
Arkansas City (current population 11,354) Mayor Robert Docking started something, then became Kansas’ only four-term Governor. Wichita School Board Member Dan Glickman started something, then became a nine-term Member of Congress, then United States Secretary of Agriculture. Johnson County District Attorney Dennis Moore started something, then became a six-term Member of Congress. They each started out as a small acorn. But they got started.
“Down ballot” can mean any election contest short of the Presidency. Yet somehow many activists across the country appear to think of the lower house of their state legislature as the end of the “down ballot” discussion. “As close to the people as a candidacy can get.” Here in the Sunflower State, of officeholders every Kansan votes for, County Commissioners are almost always MUCH closer to the people than state legislators. MUCH farther down ballot. For the new census says that the new State House seats will have an average population of 23,537. And by definition County Commissioners, who each represent one of three or more districts within a county —each of which districts overlaps with no other district— are closer to the people than countywide officeholders.
Five of the thirty County Commission districts I am trying to draw attention to have an average population of 104,765. That is because they are in enormous Sedgwick County. The three next-most populous of the thirty districts are in Crawford County, and average 12,991. By far the smallest districts —five of them— are in Seward County: an average of 4,393 persons live in each, an average of 1,270 of whom are Anglo. Yet all five Seward County Commissioners are Anglo and Republican, as are the Seward County State Representative, the State Senator, the State Board of Education Member, the Congressman, and both United States Senators.
Among offices all Kansans vote for, very rarely is ANYTHING disclosedly partisan closer to this people than a County Commission seat. In February 3 (link) and February 24 (link) diaries, I explained the very great change that would come about were the best, most competitive Democratic candidates able to compete to win more than 5-to-9 of Kansas’ 105 counties. And I laid out a strategy for leveraging County Commission races in 8 counties to start building that 5-to-9 up to 13; to start building a new fund of community-based Democratic elected officials. I asked your help with some sort of financial help in each. I urge you to re-visit those earlier diaries.
Here are the 8 counties, each linked to the County Democrats’ ActBlue connection (where available):
Lyon County (donor link) Demographics (link) Regents University (link) Slaughterhouse (link) Lyon County voted for Laura Kelly and against Kris Kobach (link)
Sedgwick County (donor link) Demographics (link) Regents University (link) Sedgwick County voted for Laura Kelly and against Kris Kobach (link)
Crawford County (donor link) Demographics (link) Regents University (link) Crawford County voted for Laura Kelly and against Kris Kobach (link)
Harvey County (donor link) Demographics (link) Harvey County voted for Laura Kelly and against Kris Kobach (link)
Finney County (not yet connected to ActBlue) Demographics (link) Slaughterhouse (link)
Seward County (donor link) Demographics (link) Slaughterhouse (link)
Ford County (donor link) Demographics (link) Slaughterhouse (link)
Ellis County (donor link) Demographics (link) Regents University (link)
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The deadline prior to which candidates must file grows inexorably nearer.
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Music to gain ground by: The Plow that Broke the Plains.