Moderate Republicans Endorse Democrat In Kansas Governor Race
A group of one hundred and four prominent members of the Kansas GOP pledged their support for Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis in his bid to unseat Republican incumbent Governor Sam Brownback. The news is sending shock waves through traditionally conservative Kansas, a state President Obama lost by almost 22 percentage points in 2012.
Brownback gained the admiration of conservative pundits throughout the country after slashing the state’s income taxes by 25 percent but came under fire in recent months as shortfalls in revenue began to squeeze essential public services and resulted in huge deficits.
Republicans for Kansas Values, group of current and former GOP legislators which includes two former lieutenant governors, the current state insurance commissioner, and many former members of the state legislature, has risen to oppose Brownback and took the drastic step of endorsing his Democratic rival in the upcoming election.
A press release on Tuesday stated:
“Brownback’s reckless tax ‘experiment’ resulted in (1) deficit spending, (2) increased debt, and (3) reduced credit rating.”
Brownback earned the ire of Kansas GOP moderates in 2012 when he conducted a primary purge of his party, endorsing tea party backed challengers funded by groups like Americans for Prosperity. Eight moderate Republican Senators were turned out in that purge. Seven of them have endorsed Davis.
The endorsements come as polls show the race in a toss up or slightly favoring the Democrat. While Davis was once seen as a long shot to unseat the incumbent, a recent SurveyUSA poll shows him leading Brownback by 6 percentage points.
Kansas has elected Democrats as governor in the recent past. Kathleen Sebelius, who later went on to be Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, served as the state’s Governor from 2003 to 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h7LxfOKpI0
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Eric Trommater
A liberal living in Northern Virginia. Father of Two great kids. Former sports writer and movie critic.
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SkeeterVT July 24th, 2014 at 07:15
As a resident of deep-blue Vermont, I can certainly relate to those Kansas Republicans having had enough of the radical extremism of Gov. Brownback, too extreme even for a deep-red state such as Kansas. It’s a reminder that Americans have little tolerance for extremist politicians in positions of power whose radical policies have a deeply negative impact on the broad swath of the public — whether they be extremists on the Right or on the Left.
I’m a strongly Democratic-leaning independent, but in Vermont’s own gubernatorial election this year, I am supporting the re-election of Republican Phil Scott as lieutenant governor.
Scott is a moderate Republican whom I did not vote for when he first ran for lieutenant governor in 2010 (In Vermont, the governor and lieutenant governor serve two-year terms and are elected separately). Back then, I voted for his Democratic opponent, Steve Howard. But in his four years in office, Scott has repeatedly proven himself to be one who puts the needs of Vermonters above rabid partisanship — which is becoming increasingly rare in this country, especially in the nation’s capital. I proudly voted for Scott’s re-election in 2012 and will do so again this November.
I’m old enough to lament the absence of elected officials such as Scott who aren’t afraid to reach “across the aisle” and work to find common ground with members of the opposing party to resolve common problems facing our state. And Scott is no rigid ideologue, either — a far cry from far too many of his fellow Republicans (and increasing numbers of Democrats) in Congress.
The time has come for common-sense moderates of both parties to rise up and resist the dangerous march toward extremism — or, failing that, form a third major national political party that appeals to the great center.
SkeeterVT July 24th, 2014 at 07:15
As a resident of deep-blue Vermont, I can certainly relate to those Kansas Republicans having had enough of the radical extremism of Gov. Brownback, too extreme even for a deep-red state such as Kansas. It’s a reminder that Americans have little tolerance for extremist politicians in positions of power whose radical policies have a deeply negative impact on the broad swath of the public — whether they be extremists on the Right or on the Left.
I’m a strongly Democratic-leaning independent, but in Vermont’s own gubernatorial election this year, I am supporting the re-election of Republican Phil Scott as lieutenant governor.
Scott is a moderate Republican whom I did not vote for when he first ran for lieutenant governor in 2010 (In Vermont, the governor and lieutenant governor serve two-year terms and are elected separately). Back then, I voted for his Democratic opponent, Steve Howard.
But in his four years in office, Scott has repeatedly proven himself to be one who puts the interests of all Vermonters above the interests of his party — a longstanding New England tradition which is becoming increasingly rare among today’s Republicans and Democrats alike, especially in the nation’s capital. I proudly voted for Scott’s re-election in 2012 and will do so again this November.
I’m old enough to lament the absence of elected officials such as Scott who aren’t afraid to reach “across the aisle” and work to find common ground with members of the opposing party to resolve common problems facing our state. And Scott is no rigid ideologue, either — a far cry from far too many of his fellow Republicans (and increasing numbers of Democrats) in Congress.
The time has come for common-sense moderates of both parties to rise up and resist the dangerous march toward extremism — or, failing that, form a third major national political party that appeals to the great center.