GOP Could Face Struggle to Regain Ground, Uproot Democrats in Kansas By: Josh Kraushaar and David Mark April 10, 2007 04:25 PM EST
Kansas state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins this week entered the race to challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda, setting up a potentially divisive Republican primary between Jenkins and former representative Jim Ryun.
Jenkins' candidacy comes as Democrats have experienced increasing success in the once solidly Republican Sunflower State. Two former Republican state chairs switched parties in 2006 -- and won their respective statewide elections as Democrats. Democratic U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore avoided serious competition for the first time in his five-term House career. And Gov. Kathleen Sebelius easily won reelection amid Republican squabbling between candidates representing the moderate and conservative wings of the party.
The House primary, scheduled for August 2008, may mirror these longstanding intramural GOP conflicts, which in a sense have turned Kansas into a three-party state made up of Democrats, moderate Republicans and conservative Republicans.
Ryun, who touts his conservative bona fides, lost to Boyda in a race few analysts expected to be competitive. He also was criticized by fellow Republicans for getting a late start to his campaign and underestimating his opponent, whom he had defeated by 15 points in the previous election cycle.
"Most people say he ran a very poor campaign," said a state Republican official. "He was not in the district much."
Jenkins cruised to a second term as state treasurer last year and is hoping to use her statewide popularity and name recognition to blunt Ryun's comeback bid. Jenkins hails from Shawnee County, the area where Boyda performed strongest in 2006. She also is an alumna of Kansas State University, another population base in the district.
"We haven't had two heavyweights in a primary like this -- two very well-respected officials," said Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Christian Morgan. "They've been around a long time, they understand what it takes. They understand you don't need to run a nasty primary."
But the ideological fissures are already emerging. The fiscally conservative Club for Growth, which often endorses candidates in GOP primaries, is casting a wary eye toward Jenkins and her record in the state legislature from 1999 to 2002. Club Executive Director David Keating said her record is "not something that looks terribly good."
"She looks more like a moderate or a liberal on fiscal issues," said Keating. "We haven't made any final conclusions, but the early poking around gives us a lot of cause for concern."
He cited Jenkins' vote ratings from the Kansas Taxpayers Network, an anti-tax interest group that tracks tax votes in the state legislature. Jenkins often scored below 50 percent in the group's annual ratings.
Jenkins also calls herself a moderate on social issues. According to her spokesman, she largely supports abortion rights but opposes abortions during the third trimester.
By contrast, Ryun was ranked as the most conservative congressman by National Journal during his last year in Congress. In an interview with The Politico, he touted his conservative voting record during his decade in Congress. He said his positions are consistent with the district, which he characterized as fundamentally conservative.
Ryun, who once earned national fame as a high school and Olympic runner, said he is unfazed by the primary challenge from Jenkins.
"I'll be able to define myself with my record in Congress," he said.
Ryun also has been touting his first-quarter fundraising numbers for 2007, which he released this week. His campaign announced he raised about $275,000 in the first quarter, with $255,000 cash-in-hand.
"The support our campaign has received from the people of Kansas has been tremendous," Ryun said in a release. "Our numbers clearly show my base is reenergized and the 2nd District wants a leader in Congress who will provide vision, inspiration and a belief in a common purpose."
Ryun said his loss in 2006 was an anomaly because of the high negatives associated with Republican candidates across the nation. He said Republicans will run strongly in Kansas in 2008, led by the Republican presidential nominee and the announced reelection bid of Sen. Pat Roberts, a popular statewide figure.
The National Republican Congressional Committee considers Boyda one of the most vulnerable Democratic members and has been targeting her since she was sworn into office.