Kansas conservatives had thought of this summer as a chance to rebuild the power of Kansas For Life, one of the more feared lobby groups in the state house for their perceived electoral success. “Kansas is a pro-life state” declared their lobby, loudly and frequently, supported by Sam Brownback and others who had also praised their efforts, including taking time away from his duties to march with them, decrying Planned Parenthood and access to choice.
While many Kansans cheer the success of moderates in the primaries on August 2nd, anti-choice Kansans sit dumbstruck, as pro-choice Republicans have now boxed them out of entire districts — house, senate, and beyond. Now anti-choice voters are left with no candidate who matches their views on the ballot, at all.
This stunning feat represents a real sea change for the Kansas electorate, going beyond party lines, and suggesting that when pocketbook issues, jobs, and education came under scrutiny, the same old song did not work so well.
In some districts, the situation is harsh. For residents of North East Johnson County and Central Johnson County, Republicans now have ballots full of pro-choice candidates. In Senate District 7, Planned Parenthood endorsed Republican candidates (who often co-endorsed with the Democrat), in all races for their pro-choice stances.
For anti-choice voters in the district, there is nowhere to go; and for advocates of access, it is a stunning blow that backs up their earlier data that the supposed dominance of that the anti-choice lobby is not as powerful as it believes itself to be.
This leaves conservatives looking at the field of potential fall candidates and wondering where they fit in:
www.insideksgop.com/...
And then I realized that bridge I'm worried about building wouldn't be over water; it would be a flame-licked bridge over the raging pit of Hades. Sorry to sound like a dramatic, hormonal high school girl, but the future the so-called moderates envision excludes God. It's a place where babies are butchered and sold for spare parts, the only people allowed to protect themselves with a weapon are bureaucrats, and everyone receives an allowance from the state.
Conservative message forums have equally lit up, with the summer of mercy turning into the summer of distress.
While moderates celebrated, not every Kansas conservative senator faced a challenge in a primary. Those conservatives who had a pass in a primary fight, though, did not find themselves welcome in Republican rooms in Johnson County.
None stood out more than Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook.
And in the midst of looking for the building blocks for that proverbial bridge, the so-called mods booed when Mary Pilcher-Cook's name was mentioned.
Pilcher Cook, a stalwart anti-choice Republican made herself famous for her actions in the senate. Her actions in the senate are legendary:
While unopposed in her primary, 1,760 voters — slightly less than 1/3 of the total (R) voters available — chose to not vote for her, leaving the line blank. Her fall opponent, Vicki Hiatt (D), was quick to point out the problem: “Our senator fails to address the issues of our district. The voters don’t want someone fixated on her own agenda, they want someone focused on improving the life of all Kansans.”
Conservative Republicans, though, disagree and point out that libertarian candidates are still on the ballot in some districts, and may represent a last hope.
No matter the outcome this November, the lobbying efforts by religious conservatives became much harder in Kansas.
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