Kansans resoundingly reject social conservative Phill Kline, again, and give a narrow victory to Pro-Choice Republican Lynn Jenkins over former far-right Congressman Jim Ryun. These two elections in formerly Red and still conservative Kansas may signal end times for social conservative dominance of the GOP.
Just as the Republican Primary campaign bursts on to the stage, all of us watching the race in the Kansas 2nd Congressional District got a very, very unexpected surprised today that throws the conventional wisdom about this race right out the window.
Results of a poll conducted in the Kansas 2nd District in May by Anzalone Liszt Research, Inc. shows truly shocking numbers- and proves Congresswoman Nancy Boyda isn't quite as vulnerable as previously thought.
We posted earlier today former Congressman Jim Ryun has received the endorsement of the legislative arm of the Family Research Council, but it wasn't until this afternoon that we looked into FRC Action closer and found out that the endorsement ties Ryun directly to a man who once paid Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke $82,000 for a mailing list and was then fined for trying to cover it up.
If you're interested in right-wing conspiracy theorist nutjobs and their blogs, I highly suggest Jim Ryun's son Ned's blog. He's no Brian Brown, but sometimes I think he figures the best contribution he can make to his father's campaign is proving that Jim isn't the crazy one in the family.
Yesterday, the Kansas Republican Party threw up a post on their official blog, The Kansas Trunkline (Trunkline? Seriously?) that reopens an old wound for the KS GOP: Their massive, massive failure to make Congresswoman Nancy Boyda's vote to renew and extend FISA somehow akin to letting terrorists sleep in her guest bedroom.
While this is an argument that has been a losing one for the Kansas Republican Party for months at this point, they continue to harp on it in an effort to mislead and misinform the voters of the state of Kansas. Why? Because they're so out-of-touch they don't realize it's hurting them.
Senator Pat Roberts might do well to take some of his memory pills.
For whatever reason, he and the Kansas Republican Party have decided to go down a path that certainly didn't work very well for Jim Ryun in 2006 as they threw up a barrage of negative radio ads and ad hominem attacks against former Congressman Jim Slattery on the day Slattery made his run for the United States Senate official.
It's just too bad Roberts remembers so little attention of his own party's recent history. Jim Ryun proved in '06 you've got to talk up your own record, because people aren't going to vote for you just because you say your opponent is the bogeyman. It always leaves people with the question, "You've been in office for how long and you don't have anything good to say about yourself?"
Kansas State Treasurer and Republican candidate for Congress Lynn Jenkins (CPA) has spent the last several months trying to make her American Century scandal go away... and with good reason. That's some pretty sketchy hijinks if you ask me.
In her op-ed to the Kansas City Star, Jenkins CPA wrote (I would link but archived articles at the star older than a week old must be purchased for $2.95 proving once and for all that the Star is all about money ... not so much about news... but I digress)
"Research conducted by American Century found that my presence in the ads reminds Kansans of my role in the program and brings credibility, attention and reassurance to Kansans considering opening a new account or making a year-end contribution."
Jenkins only evidence that this wasn't a "back scratching" deal was a slide from a powerpoint presentation. (click for larger view). Even Jim Ryun's campaign calls this questionable.
Newsflash: Jim Ryun has sworn off earmarks if returned to Congress, in a move that seems much more like a chain smoker announcing, "This time I'm really going to," rather than like a principled stand taken by a would-be elected official.
A shout out to our right-wing wacko "friends" at Bounce Boyda and Stay Red Kansas for breaking this story- but, funny, they seem to have left something out. What could it be...oh, that's right, the fact Jim Ryun is a flip-flopper and a hypocrite.
The Kansas Second Congressional District race just started to get a little more interesting. And a whole lot more snarky. BoydaBloc has posted a great video that captures the recent excitement.
Those of you not in Kansas have, unfortunately, missed out on the latest turn in the Republican primary race between the nuts trying to unseat freshmen Democrat Nancy Boyda.
It's come down to a man who was kicked out of office for unethical ties to lobbyists calling his major opponent unethical for taking free TV ads from a company she gave a state contract to.
I want to look at this nomination through the eyes of my congressional neighbor to the West, Rep. Nancy Boyda (KS-2nd). You may remember her from the front page as one of the good guys in the FISA fight. No easy task in a state as typically red as Kansas, heck it's even home to the Big Red One. That much military always keeps security at the fore.
Admittedly there is a lot more Democrats in high places right now than you'd normally expect, but she's in for a tough fight this fall and I really think having Sen. Clinton at the top of the ticket would destroy her chances.
In late January, we challenged all of you to create a YouTube video for Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. The YouTube revolution has changed the way people campaign, and we thought it was high time Congresswoman Boyda was part of that new wave of campaigning.
The response was great- so awesome we decided that we couldn't really post them all here for you to see. So, we got together and picked out a winner. It just so happens our winner was one of the very last one's received, and it's quite topical: It thanks Nancy Boyda for defending our civil liberties since she's been our member of Congress.
Congresswoman Nancy Boyda took a very courageous stand for a woman who represents a conservative district late last week when she laid out exactly why every single member of the House of Representatives should opposed the so-called "compromise" FISA legislation that the Republicans are attempting to force through Congress during an interview with the Joplin Globe.
Outside of the hilarious burn rate we see in Jim Ryun's fundraising report (he's spent 75% of the money he raised in 2007), we're horrified to see in it three unique expenditures for "caging."
Caging, as you remember from posts here and on Blue Tide Rising, and on other blogsnationwide, is a practice by which registered mail is sent to a poor person, a college student, or someone serving in the armed services, at the address provided by them on their voter registration card in hopes that that letter comes back undeliverable.
I just had to tell ya'll about this because its something that makes me crazy.
Last year around Christmas time - the Kansas GOP sent out what I'm sure they thought was a normal everyday fundraising email. What they mistakenly did was talk about all the great work they are doing and talked about their Vote Caging program.
