Moscow Mitch is back to ratfuck another primary but this time it’s the Kansas GOP he’s trying to fuck over:
An anonymous group with ties to Republicans has just emerged with the apparent aim of targeting Senate candidate Kris Kobach of Kansas, according to sources familiar with the effort.
Kobach is an anti-immigration firebrand and voter-fraud crusader whose primary campaign has sparked fears among GOP leaders that he could jeopardize a seat crucial to keeping control of the chamber.
Plains PAC filed with the Federal Election Commission on July 1 and has booked more than $1.6 million in ads to air from now until August 3, the day before the GOP primary, according to Kantar's Campaign Media Analysis Group. The group has informed television stations that it plans to drop negative ads against Kobach, according to the sources.
It is unclear who is behind the Plains PAC. The public may not know until after the election; its FEC filing says its first report is due on August 20.
The group's media buyer, Mentzer Media Services, has worked on behalf of Republicans, including Senate candidates and the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
The Plains PAC, Mentzer Media Services and the Senate Leadership Fund did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kobach is facing 10 Republican candidates including his top rival, Rep. Roger Marshall, an obstetrician-gynecologist who represents the same solidly Republican, farm-focused district from which former Senate Republican leader Bob Dole, Sen. Jerry Moran and the retiring Sen. Pat Roberts built the base of their power.
Other GOP candidates include Bob Hamilton, who owns a plumbing company, and Dave Lindstrom, a former Kansas City Chiefs player and businessman.
Just a reminder, this is Moscow Mitch’s preferred candidate:
On Christmas Eve 2008, court documents show, Assistant Barton County Attorney Carey Fleske approached a district court judge with a request: erase Roger Marshall’s conviction that fall for reckless driving and replace it with a lesser charge.
The judge agreed, turning a suspended jail sentence for the future Kansas Congressman and Republican U.S. Senate candidate into a slap on the wrist.
But Fleske was more than a prosecutor. He was also the son of Marshall’s business partner and neighbor.
Marshall was originally charged with reckless driving and battery after a May 2008 encounter where he was accused of hitting a Great Bend resident with his truck. A civil lawsuit over the episode was settled out of court. Marshall has always denied hitting the man.
The incident surfaced during Marshall’s 2016 campaign for Congress, when Rep. Tim Huelskamp released an ad featuring audio of the 911 phone call. Marshall’s connection to the prosecutor was never reported. After a handful of stories, the matter faded from view and Marshall went on to win the western Kansas seat.
Four years later, as Marshall, 59, introduces himself to voters statewide as a Senate candidate, questions remain about why Barton County moved to reduce the charge against him after his conviction.
The GOP has every right to be terrified of Kobach becoming the nominee because he cost them the Governor race in 2018. Not to mention that Democrats have landed a strong candidate in State Senator Dr. Barbara Bollier (D. KS). Bollier left the GOP when Sam Brownback (R. KS) was Governor and she has been emphasizing a certain issue that would have a huge effect on the state:
The primary is August 4th. Kos release a poll last month from Civiqs showing Bollier narrowly beating Kobach and only one point behind Marshall.
Whatever happens on August 4th, we need to be ready to win. National Democrats are behind Bollier but we need to be ready. Click here to donate and get involved with Bollier’s campaign.