Every so often, my volunteer efforts on behalf of the Kansas Democratic Party result in some pretty unique exchanges. I can disagree with candidates, argue and debate over policy and changes. Rarely, however, do I run into candidates so averse to the truth that it is as though they make it up as they go along.
There are conservatives in the state house who I may bitterly disagree, but I rarely think to myself: none of this is true. They truly believe what they say, and I rarely doubt it. That is, until Steve Watkins, Iditarod dog racer, began to run for Kansas Second Congressional district, and from the get go something was VERY wrong. Much of Steve’s story simply didn’t check out. He had never registered to vote, and as the race was going it was obvious he had lied about voting for Donald Trump — he couldn’t have, he wasn’t a registered voter. Republicans called it disgraceful.
But behind the scenes, the story Democratic members heard from Steve Watkins ran so afoul of his behavior we couldn’t even put it together. Absolutely nothing we heard from Watkins made sense with the kind of campaign he was running.
When asked about this today, by the Topeka Capital Journal, Watkins contended that Democratic members were “spreading lies”. Well, here is the problem of accusing people of spreading lies: occasionally, Mr. Watkins, we save the receipts.
Before we start, we have to know who Steve Watkins is, and even when the lying began. In a meeting with Shawnee County Democratic members, at the Shawnee office, he told Democrats about his past… but he didn’t need to. His donor history was easy to find, and it showed us someone who donated to Democratic members, as pictured below. What no one knew at the time was that this clip below, would also become proof that one of his later lies — that he had built a big business — could not be true.
You see, Watkins would later claim that he built a company from the ground up, to 450 people, during this time frame.. but according to his donor records he was “NOT EMPLOYED”, rather than an owner or director of the company. He has since admitted this was false, but not before telling many Kansans all about his heroic business work.
The dishonesty, however, didn’t go unnoticed. Even the owners of the company itself wondered what the heck Watkins was talking about in the Kansas City Star.
Congressional candidate Steve Watkins inflated his role as a defense contractor in the Middle East by telling voters he owned a company he built from scratch.
He didn’t.
…
“I didn’t own it, no ... when I say I helped start and grow, it was operational,” Watkins said. “There were processes, systems that didn’t exist and I helped to start and create those processes and systems and products and services that we provided clients.”
Bryan Piligra, Watkins’ campaign spokesman, said the candidate has “never intentionally claimed” he owned VIAP.
His twitter exchanges though seem to highlight that he DID intentionally make the claim that he owned and built the company, a company he now acknowledges, yep, he didn’t own or build.
During the Republican Primary, his fellow Republicans questioned how strongly he believed in anything. He had never been registered to vote and had obviously lied about voting for President Trump. But, when he spoke to a Republican party in South East Kansas, he had this moment that caused other Republicans to wonder what was going on:
This ad, run by Dennis Pyle, a conservative Republican, highlighted his moment, but raised more questions about Watkins: what the heck did Watkins actually believe? For a lot of Democrats who knew his donor history — it made us feel as though this was likely the real Steve Watkins, and the rest was for show.
It harkened back to Watkins meeting in the DEMOCRATIC party offices in Topeka, Kansas, and feeling them out about positions, as covered by the Kansas City Star.
“He was basically trying to feel us out and see if we’d support him for Congress,” said Ty Dragoo, the Democratic vice chair for the 2nd District.
“When he was talking to us, it was all the right stuff,” Dragoo said. “He supports sensible gun laws. He supports labor unions. … He sounded like a Kansas Democratic Party member. His social views were liberal. We talked about gay and lesbian rights and he was all for that.”
…
“So let me get this straight, when we said, ‘Meet at the Shawnee Democratic Party,’ he didn’t have an inkling we were Democrats?” Dragoo said in a follow-up phone call.
Dragoo and other participants said the two-hour meeting had been set up by the Shawnee Democratic Party’s vice chair, Luke Domme, who also works as a business representative for the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ union.
Watkins, however, maintained none of it was true. He never had that exchange on Twitter about his business. He never said he was pro-choice, pro-gay rights. Judge him by who he is — a non-voter who only ever donated to Democratic candidates.. because that tells people who don’t believe, what exactly?
At the time of the primary, Danedri Herbert, now Kris Kobach’s communication director, went after Watkins, attacking his spouse.
Dragoo also claimed that Watkins touted the fact that his fiancee, Fong Liu, an OB-GYN, had received an award from Planned Parenthood during her time as a volunteer in Alabama more than a decade ago, a detail that would later surface on a conservative blog.
I want to make perfectly clear: attacks on people’s families are off limits. I respect the work that his wife performs at Beth Israel Hospital as an OBGYN, and I respect her work on behalf of Democratic causes, period.
Still, when Steve Watkins decides to contend everyone else is a liar because “none of this is true” it is asking Democratic members and even his fellow Republicans to swallow a lot. When two people have only donated to Democratic causes prior, and have never voted or donated to a Republican before?!?!
Watkins contends all of this is a “Democratic Smear” and that Democratic leaders are “spreading lies”, but heads up, Mr. Watkins — I have no power to change your donor history. I have no power to go back in time and make you the owner of the business you lied to people about. I can’t change the fact you got married this year, and your work life and home life and your wife are all in Boston.
I can’t change any of that.
So, if you’re going to accuse me, or others, of pointing out your exchanges with others, your donor history, your misstatements, and call them lies.. you might need a time machine to fix them.
It’d be much easier if you’d just own your past. But.. I don’t think you’re ready for that.
Steve Watkins is running against Democratic candidate Paul Davis in Second Congressional District.