Here at LeftBrainKansas, we continue to be your only source for campaign finance data (other than our friends at Boyda Bloc of course, but they're sort of limited in their coverage) Today, we bring you the US Senate numbers (save for Jim Slattery, who's report has yet to be posted to the FEC's web site). Obviously, Sam Brownback is not running, but he's spending money, so we decided to include him as well. We'll update this as soon as Slattery's report is posted.
We already reported Pat Roberts' campaign numbers, now an Associated Press story printed in today's Wichita Eagle has approximate numbers for Democratic candidate Jim Slattery as well.
Republican Sen. Pat Roberts is reporting nearly $3 million in the bank for his latest re-election bid, while his leading Democratic challenger raised more than $250,000 since entering the race last month.
The latest totals for the Kansas Senate race indicate that Roberts will face a vigorous challenge in his quest for a third term.
Considering that Jim Slattery only filed his Statement of Candidacy with the FEC on March 14, that means he has raised a quarter million dollars in less than a month, not too shabby.
Pat Roberts camp sent out an email to his supporters with some basic numbers in it for their 1Q haul. Thanks to the reader that forwarded this email to us.
According to the email, Roberts raised $522,024.00 and has around $3 million in cash on hand. This doesn't (or at least shouldn't) come as a surprise to anyone. We knew whoever went up against Roberts was going to have to overcome a fundraising deficit.
Word on the street is Jim Slattery is putting up some impressive numbers in a very short period of time. We'll keep you posted throughout the day as reports pop up.
After all the dust has settled, we will post a breakdown of all the fundraising numbers for the four US House Races and the Senate race, as well as the two state parties.
We've been hammering on Pat Roberts lackluster polling data (see here and here) and his inability/unwillingness to protect American jobs (see here, here, here, here, here and here) and people are finally starting to realize that this race is going to be one worth watching. In a story released today by CQ Politics, the Roberts vs. Slattery/Jones race was downgraded (or upgraded, depending on your perspective) from "Safe Republican" to "Republican Favored."
The story had some interesting quotes from Kansas politicos, and even a GOP employee.
The GOP of course brought out their tired line about Slattery having worked in Washington, D.C. after getting caught up in the Republican Tidal Wave of 1994 and losing his gubernatorial election to Bill Graves.
“He abandoned the state 14 years ago for Washington’s special interests,” charged Corrie Kangas, political director at the Kansas Republican Party. “He’s a poster child for everything gone wrong in Washington.” She added her opinion that Roberts “has a strong record of achievements standing up for Kansans.”
Once you get over the initial shock of realizing the someone besides Christian Morgan works for the KS GOP, you can see the stupidity of this statement. Pat Roberts left Kansas in 1962 and has never looked back.
Hell, Barack Obama's Kansas roots are practically deeper than Pat Roberts'.
But more than just having lived in Washington for the past, oh, four decades, Roberts is a lap-dog for the Bush Administration and presided over the Senate "intelligence" Committee during some of the worst atrocities committed by the United States since...ok, just since Ronald Reagan, but still.
“He’s been carrying the Bush administration’s water for seven years now,” Mike Gaughan, the executive director of the Kansas Democrats, said of Roberts. “He turned his back on middle-class Kansans. Kansans are tired of politicians who pledge allegiance to the Bush party. They’re looking for a uniting candidate.”
Finally, the piece highlights the most recent abysmal failure of Roberts' tenure in
Some observers also think Democrats may be able raise an issue about Roberts’ effectiveness in the wake of the awarding of a $40 billion contract for refueling tanker planes to a European company instead of Boeing Corporation. Boeing has factories that are major employers in Wichita, the largest city in Kansas.
“The tanker deal was a shocker, with Wichita so tied into aviation,” said Bob Beatty, an associate professor of political science at Washburn University in the state capital of Topeka. “There could be a lot of ads on this issue, not from Slattery but probably from issue groups. Especially in the Wichita area, they could come in and hammer hard and negative.”
But even that prospect left Beatty sanguine about Slattery’s chances for an upset of Roberts. “Certainly, the Republican is favored at this point. A lot of things have to happen for Slattery,” Beatty said.
It's time for a Senator who has the guts to stand up to the likes of John McCain when they want to ship Kansas jobs to France, and not do what George W. Bush tells them to.
Sometimes I find myself daydreaming about the drubbing the KS GOP received from Democrats in the 2006 election cycle and wondering "How the Hell did we Democrats do so well in a state where the registration numbers say we should get our clocks cleaned every year?"
Well, I think the majority of the reason is Democrats have a vastly superior organization on the ground and some great candidates. But there is something else that sometimes I have trouble putting my finger on. And then I get another email from Christian Morgan and it all comes back to me. Let's break down the latest (sent at 10:51 on a Friday night...I bet that got a lot of play, Christian!)
Democrat Week in Review
Say it with me now...Democratic...Democratic. Democrat is a noun, Democratic is the adjective. It's hard to take you seriously when your grammar is so piss-poor.
In case you missed it, here are a couple of highlights from the last week.
Kathleen Sebelius
In her continuing attempts to use Kansas as a stepping stone for her national political ambitions, the Governor was in New York this week discussing the Republican led legislature's ideas on reducing crime and recidivism rates in the state—while the Legislature was hard at work trying to undo her rejection of the most substantial job growth opportunity for Western Kansas in the last decade.
Of course, all of our kids will have emphysema, but by God their grandfathers would have been given a chance to work construction on a power plant (of course, chances are those jobs would've gone to out of state skilled laborers, but that's neither here nor there.)
While she was gone, she also managed ignore the hard work of House and Senate Republicans by taking credit for Kansas being one of the "Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States."
We can't help but wonder if the authors of StayRedKansas and the authors of this email share the same brain waves. Much like StayRed, good ol' Christian didn't feel the need to cite (or apparently read) the study he mentions. We'll help. See here or here. The author of the study said the results reflected a commitment from the Governor's office to business friendly practices. We'll give the legislature credit for the criminally-low minimum wage in Kansas, though.
But we were quick to point out that it's because of the Republican legislature passing pro-business tax credits, economic growth incentives, and tax cuts that make Kansas such a business friendly state. The Governor seemed to forget that she stood in the way of these policies by proposing tax increases, socialized medicine, and rejecting job growth proposals.
Yes, because most businesses our against providing free health care to children under 5. Which, by the way, Susan Wagle is now all for. Too bad she waited until after George W McCain...er...Bush...made sure there was no money to fund her new-found pet project.
Nancy Boyda
There seems to be a disconnect between the freshman Democrat's rhetoric and her actions in Washington. A few weeks ago, she made a big splash in the press about how she was not going to use auto-dial calls during her campaign. A few days later, residents across the 2nd District received an auto-dial message from Boyda's office. While she didn't specify that she wouldn't auto-dial from her official office, we find this just another case of Boyda not following through on her promises to the people of the 2nd District.
I'm not a big fan of robocalls, but a robocall from Nancy Boyda's office asking me what I think would be more than I (or anyone else) ever got from Jim Ryun, and he was in office for 10 years. If she wasn't conducting these surveys, this space would be used to criticize her for not being in touch with her district.
Speaking of not following through, Boyda made earmarks a major campaign issue in 2006, but has repeatedly failed to live up to her end of the bargain. She stated, "The earmark process has been abused in the past. Members of Congress have set aside funds for programs that turned out to personally benefit them." Yet this year, she has submitted $48 million in special earmark requests; we'll leave it to your good judgment whether her millions in earmarks "personally benefit" Mrs. Boyda.
Thankfully, change is coming to Washington and you can be a part of it. Click here to contribute to the KS GOP and help us keep this liberal Democrat accountable.
Dennis Moore
Dennis is known for saying one thing in his district and voting the other way in Washington, DC. Most recently, he has been practicing this bad habit with two crucial pieces of legislation—FISA and the SAVE Act (immigration reform).
First, Dennis Moore promised to support a bipartisan Senate bill that would have protected those who helped protect America after 9/11 but then voted with Nancy Pelosi to block this bipartisan legislation and passed a bill that not only fails to protect those who have helped America fight terrorists but allows for a massive pay off to powerful special interests like the trial Lawyers.
The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted Moore's double-cross on this important issue. To read the whole story click here.
Wow, after Nancy Boyda shoved this argument where the sun don't shine, they've moved on to Dennis Moore. Well guess what, the facts don't change regardless of who is on the receiving end of your baseless attacks. See this factcheck piece in Newsweek.
And then there is immigration reform. Moore states that he supports "...strong reforms that will improve our border security and make our immigration policies more realistic, enforceable, and complimentary to the global economy we live in...." however, he is standing in the way of meaningful reform by blocking the SAVE Act (Secure America with Verification and Enforcement) which would improve border security and boost immigration law enforcement.
It is clear that Dennis Moore has become part of the broken system in Washington that is failing us. It is time for a change.
I wonder why they haven't attacked Nancy Boyda on immigration...oh right, it's because she's already done more to address the issue than Jim Ryun managed in his entire 10 years in Congress. Although, I think I've done more to combat illegal immigration since I started writing this post than Jim Ryun ever did. Look, the fact of the matter is that Nick Jordan is a massive tool. Why they even bother wasting their time on this race is beyond me. Maybe it's just sour grapes on the part of Kris Kobach since Dennis Moore trounced him by double figures.
Apparently though, they have nothing to say in support of Todd Tiahrt or Pat Roberts.
Since they're using these lies and fabrications as a fundraising tool, lets hit'm right back. Below are the web sites for our federal candidates. Support them in any way you can, whether it's volunteering, donating $5 or donating $2,300. We've done well in 2006 and our situation is looking pretty strong again, but we're always up against a staggering registration advantage, so complacency is not an option.
Yet another Survey USA approval rating poll has been released for Sen. Pat Roberts and the "wildly popular" Senator continues to be...well...not wildly popular. (Historical analysis on Roberts lackluster polling is here)
In Western Kansas, where comparatively few people live, Roberts enjoyed a very strong 72% (19% of those surveyed). In the Wichita area, his approval rating dips down to 50% (30% of those surveyed. In Eastern Kansas, which makes up an overwhelming majority of the state's population, his approval rating dips to 46% and makes up 51% of those surveyed.
Basically, without a single iota of campaigning from Jim Slattery, a popular six-term Congressman from 2nd District in his own right, Roberts is looking at a 52-48 race. Hardly a slam dunk.
But let's look at something else: the undecideds.
In the Wichita area, 19% were unsure of their feelings on Pat Roberts. In Eastern Kansas, that number is 15% and overall it was also 15%.
That means that of the 600 adults that took the time to take part in this phone survey (which, for the record, had a margin of error of +/- 4.1%) nearly 100 of them were unsure.
Now, we do not wish to contend that this race is a lock for the Democrats either. Slattery faces a primary (Lee Jones) and Roberts will probably end up with over $4 million to slander whomever the Democratic nominee is, but it looks like the Nancy Boyda vs. Jim Ryun/Lynn Jenkins race will not be the only throwdown in Kansas this election cycle.
UPDATE: Despite voting for McCain's 2003 amendment which paved the way for this disastrous decision, Sen. Roberts still has the nerve to attack McCain over the decision. Roberts spoke while giving a lecture at Hutchinson Community College.
All six members of Kansas' delegation in Washington - four Republicans and two Democrats - are working together to reverse the Air Force's recent decision to award a $35 billion contract for air refueling tanker aircraft to a group including Airbus' manufacturer. The losing bidder was Boeing, with operations in Wichita.
"Unwise" and "unbelievable" Roberts said of the decision that will create jobs in France at the expense of the U.S.
The expected Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., successfully opposed an earlier tanker lease deal involving Boeing. That squelched project caused a scandal for both Boeing and the Air Force and paved the way for the competitive round that led to the Airbus victory.
Roberts observed that when McCain flew to Wichita for a quick campaign stop before the Kansas GOP presidential caucus in February, he landed in an Airbus plane.
"Now if that doesn't tell you something," Roberts said.
Make no mistake, we agree with what he's saying now, we just wish his epiphany would've come before his 2003 vote that allowed it to happen in the first place.
If you're a regular LBK reader, you already know about Laissez Unfaire, that is, Sen. John McCain's active efforts to enable foreign companies to obtain military contracts and Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback's complacency in that endeavor. You've known for quite some time in fact (see here, here and here) Well, I have good news, the media has finally caught on.
A nationally syndicated story hit Kansas papers yesterday outlining how the actions and/or inactions of these men led directly to the devastating decision to award AirBus a contract won based on the merits of a hypothetical plane.
McCain's opponents said he laid the groundwork for Airbus in 2003, when Congress approved his amendment that allowed the Pentagon to buy American military equipment from foreign companies. In 2006, McCain wrote letters to the Defense Department regarding the tanker project. Opponents said the senator was lobbying on Airbus' behalf, but McCain said he was merely calling for an open process that would not exclude Airbus from bidding.
The Star included a longer version of the story.
Others have noted that 2004 was about the time EADS North America tripled its contributions on Capitol Hill. In this election cycle, the Center for Responsive Politics called McCain the top individual recipient (about $14,000) from the company’s employees and PAC. Most Boeing-sourced donations went elsewhere.
Some look to his campaign staff as well.
McCain finance chairman Thomas G. Loeffler and Susan E. Nelson, his finance director, both were lobbying for EADS in the past. Former Navy secretary and current McCain adviser William L. Ball III and John Green, McCain’s legislative liaison, did as well. All say they are not working for Airbus now
.Moreover, the Star story includes specifics about Brownback and Roberts' support of the amendment, authored by John McCain, which paved the way for this decision.
But in 2003, when Congress approved his amendment that allowed the Pentagon to buy American military equipment from foreign companies. Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback, both Kansas Republicans, voted for the amendment along a largely party line.
And in 2006, McCain wrote letters to the Defense Department suggesting the criteria be broadened and the issue of European subsidies to Airbus not be a deal breaker. Opponents said the senator was lobbying on Airbus’ behalf, but McCain said he was merely calling for an open bidding process.
All the anger in the world out of Sens. Brownback and Roberts, as well as US Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard) is a day late and a dollar short. Kansans need leaders who can be proactive and visionary, not leaders who's anger is reactionary and full of hindsight. Roberts, Tiahrt and Brownback should have been out in front of this from the very beginning.
It's as simple as this, John McCain's actions cost the people of Wichita thousands of jobs, and Sam Brownback, Pat Roberts and Todd Tiahrt did nothing about it. Kansans should make them pay at the polls.
This quote from Albert Einstein seems to be the mantra of the three major Republican blogs in this state.
Now that the news is starting to settle in that Jim Slattery will be joing the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, our Republican blogs have felt the need to assert Roberts' status as "well-liked."
What's the problem with this you might ask?
Sure, he's been elected numerous times by large margins, even going unopposed in 2002. But is he really well-liked?
Survey USA polls the state quite a bit, and Roberts' numbers have been pretty steady.
I could keep going, but you get the idea. The "well-liked" Senator has never been above 57% and has on two separate occassions since January of 2007 dropped below 50%. His average approval rating over the past 17 months? 52%.
That's not atrocious, I mean, he could be Sam Brownback. However, considering he has been in Congress for decades and has had no one really actively campaigning against him his entire career, it's pretty sad. And it certainly isn't insurmountable, whether he faces Lee Jones or Congressman Slattery.
So why is it that despite all evidence to the contrary, Republicans insist upon calling Sen. Roberts well-liked? They offer no statistical evidence to back up their claim, only that he hasn't been beaten yet.
I guess if you say something enough, people start to believe it.
All of a sudden, Pat Roberts, Sam Brownback and Todd Tiahrt are crying foul. After the Department of Defense decided to give the contract to construct new Air Force tankers to Northrop Grumman, meaning the new planes will be built predominantly in France, all of a sudden these legislators have decided outsourcing isn't so great after all.
Sen. Roberts and Brownback, not to mention Sen. McCain, weren't concerned about this possibility in 2003, but now that it's hitting home in their state, Brownback and Roberts have decided maybe a completely unhindered free market isn't such a good thing. McCain still doesn't care.
But what of Todd Tiahrt, he wasn't involved in that 2003 Senate amendment, but is he without blame in this situation?
Rest assured, if the deal had gone to Boeing, Rep. Tiahrt would be the first in line to take credit for swaying the DOD. It cannot be mistaken, Todd Tiahrt is a very powerful member of the House of Representatives. In fact, he was even considered for leadership positions after the 2006 elections.
Moreover, I firmly believe you can tell more from what a politician doesn't say than you can from what he or she does say. If Todd Tiahrt had done anything whatsoever to attempt to influence this decision, you can bet the farm his staff would be tripping over themselves to hold a press conference outlining each and every little email he may have sent to the Pentagon.
Ultimately, I don't think it's fair to say that the situation is Todd Tiahrt's fault. Certainly, Brownback, Roberts and McCain deserve some blame for creating a regulatory environment in which such a deal is possible, but shouldn't Tiahrt have done SOMETHING.
This seems to happen a lot with Rep. Tiahrt. He doesn't do a lot of egregious things, but he doesn't do much good either.
Write Rep. Tiahrt and tell him to start using his power for more than just bringing home earmarks and start fighting for the average Kansan.
On second thought, just donate money and/or volunteer for state Sen. Donald Betts and kill two birds with one stone.
Send us your tips, your comments your concerns or just things you find particularly funny or interesting. We're waiting to hear from you! leftbrainedkansas@gmail.com.
