Friday, May 29, 2020

Welcome to the KDP Weekly Rundown – the Kansas Democratic Party’s update of the biggest things going on in the state party and the state government. What are we focused on this week? Sunflower Showcase update, GOP leadership in the KS Legislature tries to undermine Governor Kelly while putting Kansans at risk, Governor Kelly vetoes bill aimed at curbing her legislative powers and calls for special legislative session next week, Kansas GOP tries to block mail-in ballot applications, Kansas campaign updates, and Trump’s inadequate response to COVID-19 as US reaches grim milestone of 100,000 deaths.

Interested in helping the Party get out our messaging to encourage Kansans to vote blue? Sign up for our new Letter to the Editor program here!

SUNFLOWER SHOWCASE: THIS WEEK

Join us this Wednesday as we host U.S. Representative Sharice Davids for our weekly virtual meet-and-greet event. We’re offering a limited time deal for the first ten events – if you sign up now, you’ll receive access to every Sunflower Showcase event for a discounted price of $80. You can sign up for the Sunflower Showcase HERE. We hope to see you there!

GOP LEADERSHIP IN KS LEGISLATURE TRIES TO UNDERMINE GOVERNOR KELLY WHILE PUTTING KANSANS AT RISK

What’s happening?

(Topeka Capital-Journal) – Kansas legislators pulled the curtain on the 2020 session after a tedious and combative 24-hour workday that ended last Friday with passage of restrictions on Gov. Laura Kelly’s authority to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and extension of the state’s emergency declaration through the end of the month.

GOV. LAURA KELLY ANNOUNCES COUNTIES CAN NOW BEGIN TO SAFELY RE-OPEN; VETOES GOP COVID-19 BILL TRYING TO LIMIT HER AUTHORITY; CALLS FOR SPECIAL SESSION OF LEGISLATURE

What’s happening?

(KSHB) – Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that she is removing the executive order for the state’s reopening plan. Instead, Gov. Kelly will leave it up to individual county health officials to decide which phase is appropriate in their area, making the the Ad Astra Plan go from mandatory to more of a guideline.

(Wichita Eagle) – With harsh criticism of last week’s legislative session, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that she will veto a bill designed to greatly limit her authority to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

Laura Kelly: House Bill 2054 was debated, voted on and written while most Kansans were asleep and was never intended to address reasonable concerns and bring KEMA (Kansas Emergency Management Act) in line with our present circumstances. Rather, it was designed to trigger a high-stakes game of political chicken, combining provisions that are essential to COVID-19 response with a wide ranging, special interest ‘wish-list’ of unrelated and unnecessary provisions. I call on the Kansas Legislature to send a clean proposal to my desk that will provide clarity and legal certainty for all elements of our emergency response moving forward.

DESPITE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR MAIL-IN BALLOTS BY KANSAN VOTERS, TRUMP AND REPUBLICAN ALLIES AIM TO BLOCK MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS

What’s happening?

(Kansas City Star) – Kansas voters embrace mail-in voting, as request for applications for mail ballots soared in Johnson County. The embrace of mail voting in Kansas comes as it faces an increasingly hostile political environment. President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders have denounced efforts to expand it during the pandemic, asserting without evidence that it heightens the potential for fraud.

Ben Meers: The fact that the Kansas GOP is bending over backwards to prevent mail-in voting is an alarming and transparent attempt to suppress voters in the 2020 election cycle. Voting is a right. The GOP knows Democrats are positioned to win in Johnson County and across Kansas – for them to single out a specific county is akin to singling out any specific group of people in politically-engineered voter suppression.

KANSAS CAMPAIGN UPDATES

GOP Senatorial Debate – What’s Happenning? 

(Shawnee Mission Post) – The Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate got together on Saturday Morning in Manhattan for a debate, where they agreed that they want to do all they can for the president and his policies. They differed mostly on who among them could offer President Donald Trump the strongest ally on Capitol Hill and on who had the best chance to get there.

U.S. Senate – What’s happening?

(Kansas City Star) – Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle has dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate four days ahead of the filing deadline.

The Wichita Republican’s decision to forgo the race to replace retiring Sen. Pat Roberts came hours after Kansas For Life’s PAC announced its decision to endorse Rep. Roger Marshall. It was a huge blow to Wagle’s candidacy, which was framed largely around her efforts to pass an anti-abortion amendment this legislative session.

KS-02 – What’s happening?

(Topeka Capital-Journal) – Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla filled out the obligatory paperwork Wednesday to formally launch a campaign for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Republicans for more than a decade.

TRUMP’S INADEQUATE AND CHAOTIC REPONSE TO COVID-19

What’s happening?

The U.S. surpassed a jarring milestone Wednesday in the coronavirus pandemic: 100,000 deaths. Trump ignored warnings, downplayed the severity of this crisis, and failed to prepare for months, allowing the coronavirus to spread rapidly and undetected. Now we’re paying the price.

In Memoriam: Remembering Lee Kinch, Former Kansas Democratic Party Chairman

The KDP is sending our condolences to the friends and family of Lee Kinch, our former Chair, who passed away Tuesday morning. Lee was a dedicated Democrat and a champion for hardworking families. The KDP is enormously proud to have benefited from his leadership and know that his memory will live on through our organization. For information on Lee’s funeral arrangements, please visit this website.

Onward,

KDP Team

P.S. Did a friend forward this to you? Click here to subscribe!