US Sen. Pat Roberts Wide Lead Narrows, Gov. Brownback Still Trailing (KANSAS in play for Democrats)
Source: The Topeka Capital Journal-5 hours ago
The race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Pat Roberts continues to intrigue as a SurveyUSA poll indicated Roberts' advantage over tea party challenger Milton Wolf had narrowed. Democratic candidate Chad Taylor, of Topeka, trailed Roberts in a hypothetical general election matchup — 38 percent to 33 percent, while independent Senate candidate Greg Orman gained traction by securing 14 percent in the poll performed for KSN-TV in Wichita.
SurveyUSA revealed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis maintained a lead over Gov. Sam Brownback in a potential head-to-head contest. Davis' 48 percent surpassed the governor's 40 percent, with Davis gaining 1 percentage point since an identical survey in June. This polling in the campaign for governor suggested 29 percent of registered Republicans — up 5 points since June — were planning to vote for Davis in November. It indicated Davis retained 89 percent of the Democratic base. Libertarian gubernatorial nominee Keen Umbehr held 13 percent of independent voters.
Davis spokesman Chris Pumpelly said the SurveyUSA poll illustrated anxiety among Kansans about Brownback's record on public education. Among voters who said the most important issue in the November election was education funding, Davis led Brownback 4-to-1. Brownback had a 5-to-3 edge among people who believe tax rates to be the top issue. "Kansans are deeply concerned about the direction Sam Brownback is taking the state," Pumpelly said. "His 'real live experiment' is hurting our schools, our economy and our future, while Paul's proven record of common-sense solutions and working across the aisle has earned broad support among Democrats, independents and Republicans."
The campaign of Democratic congressional candidate Margie Wakefield released a private poll suggesting incumbent U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins could be vulnerable in the 2nd District, which includes Topeka and Lawrence. The survey by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research, commissioned by the Wakefield campaign, indicated Jenkins was the choice of 49 percent and Wakefield was the preference of 42 percent. In a similar October poll, Wakefield trailed Jenkins by 10 percentage points. "This poll confirms what Margie has been hearing for over a year as she travels across the district," said Mark Sump, campaign manager for Wakefield. "Lynn Jenkins is spending her time promoting her personal politics in Washington rather than responding to the needs of her constituents."
Read more: http://m.cjonline.com/news/state/2014-07-25/poll-roberts-wide-lead-narrows-brownback-still-trailing
incredible news! finally the voters are starting to turn on the Tea Party when it is actually implemented
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alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)What they're really doing is getting in front of the impending budget crisis caused by Brownback's insane tax cutting social experiment, which has failed utterly.
I doubt Roberts will go down for it, too, but Brownback is probably already courting K Street firms for his post-gubernatorial career.
big_dog
(4,144 posts)he used to run the Christian Coalition, I would expect Brownback to end up there
tblue37
(65,336 posts)Democrats and reasonably moderate Republicans teaming up to reign in the worst excesses of the right wing Republicans.
In our last election season, long-time moderate Republicans in the legislature were primaried out by extreme right wingers, and thus the right wing completely took over the legislature, thus making it possible for Brownback to get everything on his wish list--including that extreme slashing of our tax base that has led to such financial problems for the state, including Moody''s downgrading of our credit rating.
But even before that happened, Brownback pulled a number of stunts that horrified even a many Republicans in the state (though apparently not the most right wing of them). For example, in 2011 he wiped out our state Arts commission, thus costing the state jobs, revenue, and federal arts funds:
. . . 73% of Kansans do not agree with the Governor's decision to eliminate public funding for the arts. The arts in Kansas generate $153.5 million in economic activity and the equivalent of more than 4,600 full-time jobs, which are needed by Kansans now more than ever.
<snip>
Brownback's veto of funds made Kansas the only state to not fund the arts and cost Kansas $1.2 million in federal matching dollars <emphasis added>.
Another example: Only massive protests forced him to change course when he tried to shut down the social services office in Lawrence, the home of KU and one of the states largest cities:
<snip>
Last month, SRS announced plans to close nine of its local offices sometime this fall. The Lawrence office was the largest of the nine. A significant public outcry followed opposing the proposed closure of the Lawrence office.
<snip>
Earlier this year, lawmakers directed SRS officials to cut about $21.5 million in state general fund spending, including $1 million from the agency's administrative budget.
SRS Secretary Rob Siedlecki said the Lawrence office was put on the closure list because there were other SRS offices nearby in Ottawa, Topeka, and Kansas City. He also said Lawrence SRS clients could use the Internet to access services.
<snip>
Of course, the people who use SRS often have no way to get to Topeka, Ottawa, or Kansas City, because they cannot afford a car, or they are physically unable to drive. Many of them also cannot use the internet at all--again, because of lack of access to a computer because of poverty or because of physical inability to get to a library where they could use a public computer for one hour. In some cases, they can't use the internet to access services because they are blind or mentally or physically handicapped in ways that preclude using a computer.
The real reason Brownback's minions were trying to shut down the Lawrence office was to punish Lawrence for being a liberal, reliably Dem-voting island in a red state.
Even the most right wing rural areas of the state have experienced direct harm that is unmistakably the result of the policies of Brownback's administration in collusion with the right wing Republicans that snow control the legislature.
Many of the Republican legislatures who were ousted by RWers have changed their registration to Dem or at least to Independent, and many of them, including those who officially remain Republicans, speak against the Brownback gang.
Something similar happened when our state school board tried to undermine the teaching of evolution.
Most people (in general) don't pay close attention to politics, and they vote only when there is a presidential election. They don’t even bother to come out for the midterm elections in between presidential election years.
Certainly they don't bother to vote in local or state elections, because they fail to understand that those offices actually have a major impact on their day-to-day lives. Furthermore, the Republicans get their people into the pipeline by getting them elected to such local and state offices, so that they are then experienced and have the visibility that enables them to run successfully for federal offices.
And whether it is a presidential election or any other type of election, most people don’t bother to actually learn anything about the candidates. They tend to identify, in a tribal sort of way, with one party or the other, so they will vote for whoever has the right letter—“D” or “R”—next to their name on the ballot.
But when a bunch of RW fundie stealth candidates (some actually running entirely unopposed!) managed to gain a majority on the state school board and change the state testing standards for science in a way that would undermine the teaching of evolution, the backlash was huge. When the best universities in the country said they would start treating Kansas applicants as weaker candidates for admission and scholarships because of inadequate science education, the voters—Repubs included—rose up to throw out the fundies on the school board. Every single one that was up for election that year was primaried by a pro-evolution Republican candidate, and thus even the Repubs who were elected were pro-evolution. The testing standards were changed back to emphasize evolution very soon after the election of the new school board members.
This is the same sort of thing that is happening in Kansas now. Voters who don’t usually bother to vote are eager to vote now, to ditch the RWers who are wrecking the state.
And even some Republicans, those who don’t want Kansas to go down the toilet, are beginning to think about voting for a Democrat instead this time. Like the voters (and candidates) who were motivated 15 years ago to oust the RWers whom they had carelessly allowed to take over the school board, many Kansans, including many Republicans, are eager enough to get rid of Brownback and his minions to actually get off their butts and vote—and for Democrats this time.
progressoid
(49,987 posts)Seems people here are doubling down on RW stupidity.
book_worm
(15,951 posts)
Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)If we can beat the Koch brothers in Kansas, we can beat those reprobates everywhere.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Except in extreme gerrymandered districts I think we have the numbers on our side, it is really important we GOTV this year. We could lay a foundation for the future years. We know we have to clean out the House or there will soon be a decade of do nothing.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)machines, totally hackable, yes???
KansDem
(28,498 posts)...to campaign in Kansas!
Oh, the angst of being an absentee senator...
