Yes, you read that headline correctly. SurveyUSA is out with new polling in Kansas and the results are stunning for the previously moderate sunflower state that's taken a hard conservative turn in recent years.
Let's start with Gov. Sam Brownback and his disaster of an economy:
In Tuesday’s new poll, the data shows Gov. Brownback at 43 percent to Davis’ 46 percent.
Since August, Brownback has never led in the polls.
Next up, the race for U.S. Senate, with the edge to Independent Greg Orman:
Orman has a slight lead at 44 percent to Roberts’ 42 percent.
Orman's lead has shrunk a bit as Kansas tea-party Republicans completely backed off all their previous threats of sitting out of the election after a messy primary battle and decided to throw their
support to Roberts. As if they were ever going to do anything different. The move to back Roberts, without him meeting any of their
absurd demands shows just how toothless this group really is in Kansas.
And last, but certainly not least, is the race for secretary of state, featuring Kris Kobach–the worst secretary of state in the nation–versus Daily Kos-endorsed Democratic challenger Jean Schodorf. When we last looked in on the race, Kobach had a 5-point lead. No more:
The latest poll data, released on October 28, shows that if the election were held today, Secretary of State Kris Kobach is tied with Democrat Jean Schodorf at 45 percent each. The poll shows that 11 percent of voters still remain undecided. The margin of error is +/- 4.0 percent.
While there are a lot of reasons to dislike Kris Kobach, the single biggest are his policies of
voting discrimination and disenfranchisement:
The Crosscheck list of suspected double voters has been compiled by matching names from roughly 110 million voter records from participating states. Interstate Crosscheck is the pet project of Kansas’ controversial Republican secretary of state, Kris Kobach, known for his crusade against voter fraud.
The three states’ lists are heavily weighted with names such as Jackson, Garcia, Patel and Kim — ones common among minorities, who vote overwhelmingly Democratic. […]
If even a fraction of those names are blocked from voting or purged from voter rolls, it could alter the outcome of next week’s electoral battle for control of the U.S. Senate — and perhaps prove decisive in the 2016 presidential vote count.
Kris Kobach isn't likely to give up his relentless pursuit of voter disenfranchisement and xenophobic policies, but with your help he won't be doing it from the Kansas secretary of state's office much longer.
Can you chip in $3 to help elect Daily Kos-endorsed Jean Schodorf and send Kris Kobach back to private practice?
Voting by mail is convenient, easy, and defeats the best of the GOP's voter suppression efforts. Sign up here to check eligibility and vote by mail, then get your friends, family, and coworkers to sign up as well.
There is a lot at stake in Kansas. Kris Kobach and his ilk have to be stopped cold before they do even more damage in 2016.