In a sign of how poor the environment is for Republicans in Kansas, the party is making last-minute calls and fundraising efforts to bolster the campaign of Rep. Lynn Jenkins, reports
Politico.
Officials are concerned that the unpopularity of top-of-the-ticket Republicans there, namely Gov. Sam Brownback and Sen. Pat Roberts, will negatively impact Jenkins, who is facing Democrat Margie Wakefield, a lawyer from Lawrence.
"Obviously, the environment [in Kansas] is very volatile, very unstable," said a House GOP leadership aide told Politico. "There is so much money being spent on the top of the ticket, we want to make sure Jenkins has the resources she needs to win her race regardless of what happens above her."
Even Jenkins' campaign acknowledged the need for additional funds to combat outside spending.
"[A]s anyone paying attention to Kansas politics this year knows, we are living in a very unsettled environment with an abnormal amount of outside spending on the top two races on the ballot," Lee Modesitt, a spokesman for Jenkins, said. "In that sort of environment, it’s important that we run an aggressive campaign and have sufficient funds to break through the cluttered media market to get our message out."
In a recent debate, Jenkins touted her ability to work in a bipartisan fashion as a member of the GOP leadership, while Wakefield characterized her as "a leader of the gridlock and the obstruction in Congress," reports the
Lawrence Journal-World.
The theme of Jenkins as an effective leader is one the campaign has used before.
In July, former Republican presidential nominee and Kansas Sen. Bob Dole said in a TV ad for Jenkins that "sticks to her conservative principles but she gets things done."
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In the ad, titled "The Kansas Way," Dole lists the challenges facing the country from "the IRS and VA scandals. Medicare in trouble and Obamacare making things worse." But, Dole adds, Jenkins is a leader who "works hard on the big issues."
The race has not been all contrasts in policy, however.
In June, the Kansas Democratic Party alleged Jenkins was violating ethics laws by having a staff member serve as an unpaid spokesman for her re-election campaign, reported
The Kansas City Star.
Jenkins' congressional spokesman, Tom Brandt, dismissed the charge as having "no merit."
The complaint filed with the Federal Elections Committee alleged Jenkins’ re-election campaign had failed report the staffer's time as an in-kind contribution.
The Democratic Party complaint, the paper noted, was filed less than two weeks after Jenkins' campaign criticized Democratic challenger Margie Wakefield "over recorded telephone calls to district residents announcing a Topeka rally."
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