UPDATE:
I just recieved an official comment from Christian Morgan, Executive Director of the Kansas Republican Party. These are his direct words.
"Senator Huelskamp is not in charge of candidate recruitment for the Kansas GOP. I have been working with Senate Leadership and incumbents to direct challengers against Democrats. It has been, and always will be, the policy of the Kansas Republican Party to not target incumbent Republicans. If Senator Huelskamp was involved in recruiting candidates against Republicans, he did that outside of the Kansas GOP and with no endorsement of his actions."
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The looming State Senate primary civil war has engulfed Kansas political circles. But the more important question for Kansas Republicans is this: who is in charge of Republican candidate recruitment?
In late April of this year, we received an email from a KSConnection blast. In it, Sen Huelskamp claimed to serve as the chairman of the Party candidate recruitment efforts and offering to host a campaign school for "solid republicans." (see below)
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In encouraging Jim before he decided to run, it was clear to me that he can beat Laura Kelly – with a real grassroots campaign. He will need tons of help – and I am confident he can make it happen.
Additionally, I'd like to note that I serve as chairman of the Party's candidate recruitment efforts. So in addition to Jim, I am looking for other candidates all across Kansas. If you have solid Republican individuals to suggest, please let me know as soon as possible. One interest group is hosting a campaign school this coming weekend – so names are needed as soon as possible.
-Senator Tim Huelskamp
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7 Senate Republicans, including Senate President Steve Morris, who shepherded Holcomb with a veto proof majority (which is more than can be said about Mr. Neufeld), are facing Republican primary challengers. According to Harris piece, Huelskamp is seen as point man in these developments. "[Brungardt] said it's no secret that one of his Senate colleagues, vocal conservative Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, has encouraged like-minded candidates to take on moderate Republican incumbents. "I think it's mostly Huelskamp's responsibility," said Brungardt, chairman of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee. "They would just like to have control of the leadership positions in the Senate."
Other candidates on the chopping block include Sen. Vice Prez John Vratil; Ruth Teichman, R-Stafford; Pete Brungardt, R-Salina; Mark Taddiken, R-Clifton; Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick; Budget Chairman Dwayne Umbarger.
So for those of us who are sick of being steamrolled by Sebelius and living in a "red" state with a disproportionate number of "blue" elected public officials I ask: who is calling the shots on candidate recruitment? Is it Kobach? Is it Huelskamp? Who designated this person in charge of recruitment for the party? And to all our readers, PLEASE, PLEASE provide any insight you may have on this subject matter.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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33 comments:
Huelskamp's Senate colleagues are going to do everything to destroy him next session. Fielding a candidate against Morris?? What an ass
No one is more disliked than Huelskamp in the Senate, on either side of the aisle. The guy is too ambitious for his own good.
I can't believe Kobach put Huelskamp in charge of candidate recruitment.
None of these idiots are going to win. Zeller is probably the only one who can win his primary and he'll get completely slaughtered by Lara Kelly. Good work Huelskamp!
Why on Earth is Shari Weber running against Anthony Hensley from rural Osage County?
And how in God's name did Iris VanMeter get back on the ballot?
It's the end times- Ryun's TV commercial proves it...
good work republicans. way to eat your own. hahahahahaha
It is interesting that Kobach and Huelskamp have teamed up the way that they have. But it is strange that the Party chairman is recruiting candidates against members of his own party.
Is Huelskamp behind crazy Ben Hodge's candidacy?
the dude running against morris is to the left of morris on energy.
no likey carbon emissions.
Huelskamp's claim is an outright lie. The late filings of conservatives was a personal project of Huelskamps and was not sanctioned by the party. I'm no fan of Kobach's but he wasn't part of this although several of his board members were. Party leaders know that primaries this year are a real problem given Dem strength. Most don't believe any of the challengers can win and now the hope is that Morris, Schmidt and Vratil show some backbone and remove Huelskamp from any important position next year. Rumors about Huelskamp recruiting challengers have been around but, this in-your-face slap by him must be met with direct action or leadership will appear weak. Put him in charge of tourism and downgrade his office at the least.
Is KSConnection an arm of the KRA? Huelskamp isn't part of any official Party or Senate recruitment, so I would guess it's KRA/AFP/CFG/KFL.
Huelskamp really is loathed in the Senate. Not that many House members want anything to do with him. He and Melvin hate each other, and Melvin is one of his constituents.
All of Huelskamp's money for his Cogressional race will be right-to-life money, maybe a little Minute-Man money, but little to no money from business and industry.
Most of the Chamber folk think he'a a joke. Which is odd considering the Chamber is an arm of Koch Industries, and Koch bankroll's the KRA, AFP and CFG.
TKR scoops everyone on this. Let's be clear. This is Huelskamp's doing not the party's and his email lie should be exposed to the press.
Wow, Morgan slapping down Huelskamp. What is little Timmy going to do now.
This is not Huelskamp's doing. I have a feeling AFP and others are behind this one.
Funny to see TKR off the reservation on this one. Aren't you all the ones who keep complaining that Sebelius keeps rolling the Republican controlled House and Senate? The math is pretty simple.
Heck he was removed from Ways and Means a few years ago because of his antics on that committee.
He's the Senate's Ben Hodge .....
The rebuke of Huelskamp is further evidence that Morgan and Kangas are running the party in a nonbias fashion - much to the chagrin, I'm sure, of the press and the radicals that populate both ends of the party's spectrum. Good work Christian and Corrie!
Hats off to you, Christian! Way to slap down the crazies.
So is Kobach going to disavow this effort by Huelskamp?
HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
KRA has endorsed BEN HODGE in the 8th Senate District.
What little respect I had for KRA in the past (okay, I confess I had none at all) has now become even less. How can anyone in their right minds endorse BEN freaking HODGE???
Oh right, y'all aren't in your right minds.
Morgan's game at this point is just trying to cover his own ass...Huelskamp's fine as long as no one knows what he's doing....
Get a hold of yourselfs, you paranoid freaks.
Primaries happen all of the time.
First, Senate leadership has been very poor, especially Morris. Umbarger has led the charge for higher spending.
Also, look up the two Salina Journal/Harris News articles that Brungardt comes off as a bitter nut case. Arpke comes off as a reasonable, sane person.
Brungardt blames Bush and Brownback and little green men from Fantasia. What a joke he is.
Are the Brownback supporters on this blog really pleased with Brungardt's screed?
Hodge might be a nut, but Tim Owens isn't much better. Ruth Teichmann is hardly a mental giant.
The bottom line is that moderate leadership in the Senate hasn't gotten us much. Why not try something different? Could it really be worse that Morris?
Zeller has a chance against Kelley as does Weber vs. Hensley. These are both districts with a plurality of Republicans.
Abrams can beat Goodwin and the guy in Leavenworth can beat Gilstrap (who has a primary).
Barone's seat is likely to go R.
The D's might be down to six or so and the mods will lose at least one of their incumbents.
Petey Brungardt needs to go. This is the Republican you guys are supporting?
In 2005, Brungardt voted FOR a sales tax increase of .5 cents...it only received 5 votes in the Senate.(Allen, Brungardt, Reitz, Vratil, Wysong)
He then proceeded to vote FOR an the creation of an income tax surcharge of 7.5%...it only received 9 votes (Betts, Brungardt, Francisco, Goodwin, Haley, Hensley, Lee, Reitz, Wysong).
"Primaries happen all the time." True enough but this isn't what's happening here. This is Huelskamp's one man assault on his fellow senators and a potential gift to the Dems. Most of his filings have little chance but should they win their primary, the Dems would likely capture the seat. And to the poster who claims that Owens is only slightly better than Owens, are you as nuts as Ben? Even 90% of the conservatives in the house can't stand him and don't want him in Topeka anywhere.
I don't always agree with Representative Owen's votes or positions on many issues I care about, but he's an honorable man who considers every issue very carefully, and votes according to his conscience and best interests of his constituents. To compare him to a racist, sexist, ranting and raving little pig like Ben Hodge is worse than ridiculous. It's an insult to all policymakers in Topeka who actually care about their jobs.
Miss Anonymous -- On your last post, I agree.
The Republicans do NOT have a veto proof majority in the Senate. They have it in "numbers" but there are only about 18 real Republicans in the Senate. None of these folks are, in reality, republicans:
Morris, Vratil, Brungardt, Allen, Wysong, Reitz, Schodorf, V. Schmidt, Teichman, Umbarger, Emler.
Derek Schmidt barely qualifies but takes a few R positions for politican gain only.
The following are true Republicans, with at least some semblance of a real Republican record:
Lynn, Huelskamp, Wilson, Brownlee, Jordan, Pine, McGinn, Pyle, Taddiken, Palmer, Ostmeyer, Donovan, Apple, Wagle, Barnett, Petersen, Bruce, Journey.
I thought in reality to be a Republican, you merely needed to register yourself as a Republican. So, all those people you seem to be trying to kick out of our party are IN FACT Republicans.
Now, stop your whining, and let's get some Republicans elected this year.
The 2:39 post is a perfect example of why conservatives in the House and soon the Senate sit around and talk to themselves passing nothing while moderate R's and D's link up on some issues to actually get things done. The only purging taking place is purging conservatives from meaningful discussions on legislation.
The 2:39 post is a perfect example of why conservatives in the House and soon the Senate sit around and talk to themselves passing nothing while moderate R's and D's link up on some issues to actually get things done. The only purging taking place is purging conservatives from meaningful discussions on legislation.
Half of those "real Republicans" are definately not the mental giants of the Senate.
Let's see you consider Barnett a cnoservative yet he proposed the large new government medical programs, paid for by a major tax increase. Nice guy but a joke for a gubernatorial campaign.
The problems in the party come from this kook wing .... that believes if you don't agree with everything they believe then you aren't a "real Republican"
Seems like these kooks are the closed minded wienies who have tried to push out of the tent those who don't agree with them on every issue. This is why us Republicans have gotten our asses handed to us the last two gubernatorial campaigns, last 3 campaigns in the 3rd District and threatens to continue the 2nd District in Democratic hands.
And the leadership group running our once proud party has to share in this blame. Kobach has done nothing to welcome those with other than extreme right views into leadership and involvement with the party.
I hate to say this but if Republicans get their asses kicked on a national and state level again ..... maybe these types will finally understand.
But we all know Kobach is a freaking lunatic. Kobach is a self-righteous fool who does nothing but harm to the party.
Let's look at how he's fared as Party Chairman... next to nothing in the bank, can't raise a penny, and is sitting on 70K in the bank that he won't give to the State Party.
This guy is bad news. Not because he will will office. We all are smart enough to not take him that seriously. But the damage he has done to the party from within in inexcusable
How much money did that Jones fella raise when he was chairman?
Didn't he want the Kansas GOP to be the "part of public education"?
How much money did that Jones fella raise when he was chairman?
Didn't he want the Kansas GOP to be the "part of public education"?
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