National Democratic leadership has some great news to celebrate out of Kansas again today, as former candidate for Governor Paul Davis tossed his hat in the ring for Kansas Congressional District 2, which will be an open seat after the announced retirement of Republican Lynn Jenkins
In an interview with Tim Carpenter of the Topeka Capital-Journal, Davis makes his case:
“Now, more than ever, we need good people who are going to go to Washington, D.C., and really represent the interests of the people that live in their district,” Davis said. “Too many elected officials – on both sides of the aisle – have forgotten how to work together to move our country forward.”
In 2014, Davis was defeated by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback in the campaign for governor. The 2nd District in eastern Kansas is not overwhelmingly Republican, but Davis carried the congressional district by 6 points in the race against Brownback.
While Davis didn’t prevail over Brownback in a close race, he won his home district handily, also outpacing then incumbent Lynn Jenkins. This strength inside of his own district resulted in many wondering if he would run for it in 2016, when a poll conducted through Smoky Hill Strategies showed that Davis and Lynn Jenkins would run “neck and neck” with a slight edge to Davis.
While Davis had to pass on 16, citing commitments to his law firm as well as ongoing work on behalf of voter rights in the state of Kansas, 2018 presented an opportunity that was just too good to pass.
Speaking with Paul Davis recently, we discussed the issues surrounding second district. Davis, who had campaigned on financial concerns related to Brownback’s policy as well as education, could be seen as a prognosticator, having offered a pretty accurate assessment of what would happen in Brownback’s second term.
Davis argument to the district will be a profound one: as a six time elected member, Davis has spent time in all areas of the district and as a former candidate for Governor has an incredibly high name ID for a Democratic candidate, things you can’t under estimate in a race like this.