Kansas: Nancy Boyda's victory means it's time to rethink our assumptions

By Diane Silver

[updated 12:40 a.m.]

Democrat Nancy Boyda's amazing victory over incumbent Republican Jim Ryun isn't just about the defeat of one member of the GOP.

Of course, Boyda's victory added to the Democratic takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives. However, her win also shows that even in the reddest of red states people have simply had enough of George W. Bush.

Honestly, there really is no other reason for a Boyda victory. Oh yes, she got an influx of support from the national Democratic Party at the last minute, but it was last-minute help. Before those last few weeks, Boyda had almost no money. Every mainstream journalist had written her off, and the disdain showed in the coverage of the race. When she ran two years ago with the full backing of the party, Ryun beat her by 15 points.

I've read some last-minute analyses of the race that have tried to claim that the 2nd District has always been evenly mixed with Democrats and Republicans. Folks who make that argument point to the fact that Democrat Jim Slattery represented the district for years.

However, they fail to note that the district Slattery won was far different than the one that was redrawn for Ryun by the Republican Legislature.

When Slattery won in the 2nd, the district included all or most of Lawrence, which is clearly the most liberal town in the state. In fact, I used to live in the 2nd District. When the GOP redrew the district lines, though, I woke up one morning to find that I had moved to the 3rd District without ever leaving my front door.

KC Buzz Blog reminded us of a Daily Kos post claiming that the redistricting may have created two Democratic districts, instead of watering down Lawrence's D-strength and turning the two districts red. That's an interesting argument, but I don't buy it.

The redistricting occurred in 2002, as far as I can tell with a quick Internet search tonight. Ryun handily beat Boyda in the 2004 election. The district wasn't too blue then.

What's changed, though, is Iraq, Abramoff, and two more horrendous years of Bush.

On Sunday Bush himself "helped" Ryun by coming to Topeka. Our not-so-beloved president stood arm-in-arm with Ryun. You can see how much that helped.

Finally, perhaps we should do a little hat tip to Democratic Chairman Howard Dean and his 50-state strategy. After years of being ignored, Kansas Democrats finally had a bit of help from the national party. It did make a difference.

Time to gloat: Tom DeLay's old seat goes to a Democrat

The Houston Chronicle says that Democrat Nick Lampson has won the Congressional seat formerly occupied by Tom DeLay.

It's a conservative district, but since DeLay resigned after winning the Republican primary, they weren't able to put another Republican on the ballot, so their candidate ran a write-in campaign.

Lampson was in Congress before, but DeLay's gerrymandering of the Texas districts cost him his old seat, so this is poetic justice.

The Republicans stayed firmly in control in the rest of Texas, so this one is a sweet victory.

Kansas Evolution Election: Score one for the anti-evolution forces

With all the precincts reporting, Republican incumbent John Bacon has held onto the District 3 seat on the Kasnas state Board of Education. Bacon defeated pro-science Democrat Don Weiss, 56 percent to 44 percent.

Because of victories by moderate, pro-science candidates in the August primary, the moderates now hold a 6-4 majority on the board. Moderates, though, were hoping to pick up one or two more seats today. That would make it harder for anti-evolution forces in the state to take control of the board in the next election.

In the last decade, control of the state board -- and the state's policy about teach evolution -- has see-sawed back and forth between the radical right and moderates.

The only hope for adding to the moderate majority is now in the 7th District where anti-evolution incumbent Ken Willard holds a slight lead over pro-science candidate Jack Wempe. Stay tuned.

Virginia Senate race just gets closer

At midnight, Allen is leading the Virginia Senate race by 1,868 votes, according to the Virginia Board of Elections.

The Washington Post says absentee ballots are going to matter -- apparently 130,000 absentee ballots have been requested in Virginia.

NPR says there will very likely be a recount, given the margin. It's pretty clear we aren't going to know what happened in Virginia anytime soon.

That could mean that control of the Senate will be up in the air, too.

Kansas: AP calls 2nd Congressional District race for Boyda

AP calls it a major upset for Democrat Nancy Boyda.

With 74 percent of the precincts reporting, Boyda had 51 percent of the vote to Ryun's 47 percent. Reform Party candidate Roger Tucker pulled the remaining 2 percent.

Kansas: Boyda & Ryun still not decided in 2nd District

I'm hearing a report from NPR that there was a problem with votes reported from Atchison County. Apparently, votes were incorrectly given to a third party candidate that should have gone to Ryun. That means Boyda's lead has tightened.

It's too early to call this one tonight.

And of course... Democrats take the House!

Oh yeah. I'm sure you've heard already, but I did just want to type that one out. If only the Democrats could take the Senate, but it appears that it won't happen. Missouri looks like it's going Republican, among others.

There's Hope! Gay marriage ban trailing in Arizona

OK, I take back my earlier, gloomy post. It looks like Arizona has a slim change of becoming the first state to defeat a gay marriage ban.

The Arizona Republic reports:

With 69 percent of the polls reporting, 48. 3 percent have voted for while 51.7 percent are voting against the proposition.

The measure would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman and bar state and local governments from giving legal status to unmarried couples.

If Arizon pulls this off, the defeat of the ban would be huge. It would be the first time, a proposed ban has been defeated. So far, though, the margin is thin. Stay tuned.

Kansas Evolution Election: Still too early to call

In the state Board of Education's 7th District, Jack Wempe, the Democrat and pro-science candidate, is locked head-to-head with anti-evolution Republican Ken Willard. If Wempe could pull off a win, that would extend the new pro-science majority on the state board.

So far it looks like the pro-science candidate in the 3rd District, Don Weiss will be defeated by anti-evolution incumbent John Bacon.

Kansas: Democrat Paul Morrison pulls off 18-point victory over Phill Kline

Wow. This is very good news for Kansas. You can argue about whether or not you agree with Kline's policies, but his campaign against Morrison was considered the nastiest in this state in a generation. His loss saves this state from endless copy-cat campaigns of sleaze in the future.

With 1671 of 3290 precincts reporting, Morrison has 59 percent of the vote compared to 41 percent for Kline.

Kansas: Attorney General Phill Kline CONCEDES!

Wahoo!!!! We have a new attorney general. Democrat Paul Morrison wins.

Awful news from Wisconsin - gay marriage ban appears to pass

This is bad. It looks like the marriage and civil union ban has passed in Wisconsin. This was considered one of the best, if not the best chance we had this year to defeat this kind of horrible constitutional ban. Fair Wisconsin was well organized and had a long time to fight this. Damn.

[update]

It looks like all the gay marriage bans are going to win easily. Most of these appear to also ban civil unions, a truly horrible situation that hurts millions of families. Bans are passing in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia (as we already reported) and of course Wisconsin.

Nancy Boyda declares victory in 2nd District

Well, at least that's what the local NPR station is saying. I'm not seeing anything else on this yet from any other source, and AP hasn't called this district yet.

If Boyda actually does win, this is huge.

Possible Shocker: Jim Ryun trails Nancy Boyda in 2nd District

With 50 percent of the vote in, incumbent Republican Ryun is trailing Nancy Boyda. Frankly, without the Bush Factor, I don't see how Boyda could be doing this good. Although Kansas City Star reporter Steve Kraske says that he has heard some grumbling about Ryun lacking in constituent service, that hasn't been a campaign theme.

Boyda went into this race with almost no money and no support from the national party. Stay tuned. This would be big if Ryun goes down.

Kansas: No Surprise - Democrat Kathleen Sebelius is re-elected

AP calls it for Sebelius, who appears to have won a second term as a Democratic governor in a red state. This is hardly a surprise as Republican Jim Barnett never looked like he had a chance. AP writes:

The call for Sebelius was based on a number of factors, including voter turnout, previous voting patterns, and a statistical analysis of the vote from voter interviews conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.

Whew! It looks like the Democrats are holding on in Maryland

By Nancy Jane Moore

My local NPR station, WAMU, is telling me the Maryland Senate race has been called for Ben Cardin, the Democrat. This seat is currently held by a Democrat, but the incumbent retired this year.

In fact, right now -- just after 11 PM -- Cardin is declaring victory. But the Republican hasn't conceded yet.

The governor's race in Maryland is still neck and neck, but some of the TV networks have apparently called it for the Democrat, Martin O'Malley. The polls were open until 8 PM ET in Maryland, and according to some call-ins on WAMU, people in Prince George's County were still standing in line to vote in at 9:30.

It's also worth noting that a lot of people voted absentee in Maryland. The primary election in Maryland was marred by significant problems with electronic voting machines.

The Virginia Senate race is still too close to call -- less than a percentage point between the candidates. No one has jumped out on a limb and called that one, though Allen is still a little bit ahead.

Things went as expected in the District of Columbia, where Adrian Fenty was officially elected mayor with 90 percent of the vote. So now we can stop saying the "probable" next mayor.

Early returns from the Old Dominion: Gay marriage ban passes

By Nancy Jane Moore

The contested Congressional races here in the mid-Atlantic region are too close to call, but unfortunately the pattern is clear on the gay marriage ban in Virginia: It's going to pass easily. Right now it's passing by 58 to 42 percent, with 76 percent of the vote counted.

This law apparently forecloses even civil unions. Here's what the amendment says:

That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.

This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage.

The Virginia Senate race is still too close to call at a little before 10 PM: 50 percent for Allen the Republican, 49 percent for Webb the Democrat. Stay tuned.

Kansas: Strong turnout marks Democratic stronghold

By Diane Silver

I went to the polls in my East Lawrence neighborhood first thing this morning and was pleased to see every voting booth taken. The Lawrence Journal-World has confirmed that turnout appears to be strong in the home of the University of Kansas.

That may well be good news for Democrats in Kansas, including attorney general candidate Paul Morrison and Nancy Boyda. Half of Lawrence is in the 2nd Congressional District where Boyda is battling incumbent Republican Jim Ryun.

On the other hand... I'm not willing to bet on anything until the votes are counted.

Election day plans & open thread

I'll be live blogging election results tonight. Due to a scheduling conflict, I won't be able to begin posting, though, until about 9:30 or 10 pm.

Please use this as an open thread to comment on the election or about any voting problems you've experienced.

Wednesday morning, I'll be blogging about the meaning of it all and the pursuit of life, liberty and, well, morning-after humor - depression - contemplations. Today I find myself wavering back and forth between elation and worry. How do you feel today?

I voted!

Did you?

One thing is certain on this election day

One thing is certain today, and it is very good news, indeed! No matter what happens, the campaign ads finally end.

This has been the nastiest campaign I remember ever seeing in Kansas. I think we can safely give incumbent Attorney General Phill Kline the award for throwing the most mud. That's not an "honor" that anyone should seek.

Election Day: Silver's Kansas picks

By Diane Silver

It's time to put away the complaints, the anger and the frustration. Tomorrow the future of this country will be in our hands. Get out and vote! Get your friends and your family out to vote.

In Kansas, the polls are open from 7 am to 7 pm.

More information about the mechanics of voting is available at the Vote Kansas site. You can also get information from both of the political party sites. Here's a link to the Kansas Democrats.

For those who are interested, I believe the following candidates will support fair laws for all Kansans -- including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered citizens -- and will help change the disastrous course charted by George W. Bush's administration.

U.S. Congress

3rd District - Dennis Moore (D)
I make this recommendation with much angst. By all rights, Moore should be defeated for supporting Bush's Military Commissions Act, which struck at the core civil liberties that are the foundation of our country. However, voting against any Democrat makes it more likely Republicans will control the House. If that happens, there won't be any check on our not-so -beloved president. This is a lousy choice, but the best one we have. Moore is also supportive of fair laws for all, including LGBT people.

2nd District - Nancy Boyda (D)
It's time to rid this state and nation of politicians like Jim Ryun. The incumbent Republican has rubber-stamped Bush and pushed the agenda of the Religious Right. I urge you to vote for Boyda. She has a real chance of winning.

Governor
Kathleen Sebelius (D)

Attorney General
Paul Morrison (D)

Secretary of State
David Haley (D)
I've always voted for incumbent Ron Thornburgh, who seemed like a decent, moderate Republican. He seemed to focus on running his office efficiently. However, the fiasco surrounding the registration of Spanish-speaking voters means that I think he deserves a no vote. Let's give someone else a try.

Insurance Commissioner & Treasurer
I have no strong opinion on either race. None of the candidates seem to be pushing the agenda of the Religious Right, and both seem to be interested in actually doing the jobs instead of pushing another agenda, as has incumbent Attorney Phill Kline.

Kansas State Board of Education
All of these candidates are pro-science moderates. We particularly need to elect Don Weiss and Jack Wempe instead of their anti-science opponents. Victories by Weiss and Wemple will give moderates a firm hold on the state board and make it much harder for the anti-evolution forces to take over the board again. For more the state Board of Education races, see The Kansas Evolution Election: It Isn't Over Yet.

District 1 - Janet Waugh (D)
District 3 - Don Weiss (D)
District 5: Sally Cauble (R) or Tim Cruz (D)
District 7: Jack Wempe (D)
District 9: Kent Runyan (D) or Jana Shaver (R)

Hat tip to Red State Rabble for providing the best coverage of this election.

Kansas House of Representatives
These are the endorsements of the Kansas Equality Coalition-PAC. I support these. Note that KEC-PAC is a non-partisan organization that follows what's called the "friendly incumbent" rule.

All other things being equal, this means that an incumbent with a track record of support for fair laws for LGBT Kansas is endorsed over a challenger. Personally, I think this is a good idea. Politicians who vote with us should always be rewarded. Equally important is the fact that once elected, politicians have been known to ignore their pre-election promises. I know you're shocked by that fact. (Note heavy sarcasm.)

District 3 Julie Menghini (D) Pittsburg
District 7 Richard Proehl (R) Parsons
District 14 Aunesty Janssen (D) Olathe
District 15 Heather Cessna ( D) Olathe
District 16 Gene Rardin (D) Overland Park
District 17 Stephanie Sharp (R) Lenexa
District 19 Thomas C. (Tim) Owens (R) Overland Park
District 20 Kevin Yoder (R) Overland Park
District 22 Sue Storm (D) Overland Park
District 23 Milack Talia ( D) Merriam
District 24 Ed O'Malley (R) Roeland Park
District 25 Terrie Huntington (R) Mission Hills
District 26 Bill Jackson (D) Olathe
District 30 Amy Kamm (D) Lenexa
District 32 Louis Ruiz (D) Kansas City
District 34 Valdenia Winn (D) Kansas City
District 38 Diane Bryant (D) Lenexa
District 39 Corey Mohn (D) Shawnee
District 41 Marti Crow (D) Leavenworth
District 44 Barbara Ballard (D) Lawrence
District 45 Tom Sloan (R) Lawrence
District 46 Paul Davis (D) Lawrence
District 47 James Robert Faris (D) Ozawkie
District 49 Bond Faulwell (D) Overland Park
District 50 Dennis Phillips (D) Topeka
District 52 Lana Gordon (R) Topeka
District 53 Ann Mah (D) Topeka
District 54 Tanya Dorf (D) Topeka
District 55 Annie Kuether (D) Topeka
District 56 Annie Tietze (D) Topeka
District 57 Vaughn Flora (D) Topeka
District 58 Harold Lane (D) Topeka
District 60 Don Hill (R) Emporia
District 65 Barbara Craft (R) Junction City
District 66 Sydney Carlin (D) Manhattan
District 67 Tom Hawk (D) Manhattan
District 76 Susan Fowler (D) Emporia
District 78 Ed Trimmer (D) Winfield
District 83 Jo Ann Pottorf (R) Wichita
District 84 Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D) Wichita
District 86 Judith Loganbill (D) Wichita
District 89 Melody McCray-Miller (D) Park City
District 91 Walt Chappell (D) Wichita
District 92 Nile Dillmore (D) Wichita
District 93 Marcey Gregory (D) Goddard
District 95 Tom Sawyer (D) Wichita
District 96 Terry McLachlan (D) Wichita
District 98 Geraldine Flaherty (D) Wichita
District 99 Charlie Mahoney (D) Wichita
District 100 Grady Kallenbach (D) Wichita
District 101 Mark Treaster (D) Pretty Prairie
District 103 Delia Garcia (D) Wichita
District 108 Joshua Lee Svaty (D) Ellsworth

Kansas: Poll shows easy victories for Democrats Paul Morrison & Kathleen Sebelius

A new SurveyUSA poll released today shows that Democrat Paul Morrison looks to be on his way to an easy victory over incumbent Republican Attorney General Phill Kline. Morrison has a 13 point lead, the same he had a month ago.

Washburn University Political Science Professor Bob Beatty says Kline's nasty ads attacking Morrison may have actually hurt the incumbent.

As part of a project on Kansas political advertising I've viewed over 250 Kansas political ads from the years 1968 to present and haven't seen anything quite like the two ads on the sex case that Kline ran - and there might be a reason for that - which is Kansans don't like them.

The poll also shows Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius cruising to an easy win over her Republican opponent Jim Barnett, among other things.

Kansas: Yet another call for a Phill Kline investigation

Did Phill Kline leak abortion patients' medial records to a TV host? Attorneys for two clinics are calling for an investigation.

Could Blogger be working for the Republicans? This darn thing won't post this. It keeps wiping out the link and several paragraphs. The Kansas City Star and others are reporting the call for an investigation. Stay tuned...

Pundit predicts Democratic sweep in Kansas & Missouri

By Diane Silver

I respect Kansas City Star columnist and political reporter Steve Kraske, so it is with a bit of surprise and, well, hope that I note his most recent column.

Kraske predicts that although some of the margins may be slim, Democrats Paul Morrison, Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy Boyda will win in Kansas. That means Democrats would pick up the attorney general's seat, keep the governor's seat and win a second Congressional district. Kraske is also predicting a slim victory for Claire McCaskill in the Missouri senate race.

He has some interesting analysis of why Boyda will win (not my rationale). He is also predicting that the Missouri stem cell proposal will pass.

I'm crossing my fingers that he's right.

Meanwhile, polls are showing that the campaign has tightened nationally.

Kansas Alert: Boyda charges GOP with fake calls

Two posts on this topic appear to have just disappeared off the front page of my blog, and I can't seem to get them back. (urrrrrr)

Oddly enough, the posts still exist. You can find:

More on apparent GOP calls

Nancy Boyda charges GOP with making harassing phone calls

Everyone: Walk outside and look up

By Diane Silver

As we head into the final weekend before the election, it might do us all good to go outside for a few minutes, look around at what, at least in Kansas, is a beautiful day and take a deep breath.

The branches are dark and spotted with the few yellow and red leaves remaining. The crisp autumn smell brings up memories of childhood romps through crinkly piles of dry leaves.

The sun is already beginning to go down, deepening the blue of the sky. High above my head puffs of white dot the blue. Lower on the horizon long streaks of gray parallel the ground.

If I stand out here long enough and think only of the smell of the air and the cool touch of it on my cheek, then I remember: Tuesday is important, but it isn't everything.

-----------------------------------
I just moved the location of this to the top of the blog. All the latest news and commentary is below.

Kansas: Fake polls flood state

The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission has been flooded with complaints about so-called push polls. Portrayed as opinion polls, these telephone calls either include nasty messages about candidates or lead to a follow up phone call with such a message.

Not a surprise: Democratic Attorney General candidate Paul Morrison is the subject of the telephone attacks. This is just the latest in a series of nasty attacks from pro-Phill Kline forces that have been so bad The Wichita Eagle dubbed them "bottom-feeder politics."

Kline's campaign said it had nothing to do with the push poll and attacked it as "vulgar." Uh huh.

The Topeka Capital-Journal writes:

"One woman was almost in tears," said Carol Williams, director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, whose agency received a wave of complaints on Thursday.

Kansas: Attorney General Phill Kline "abandoned consumers"

The Wichita Eagle has finally picked up on the story about the poor performance of Attorney General Phill Kline's Consumer Protection Division.

After he took office, Kline and his new consumer chief, Byron Brown, transformed the office. The Eagle writes:

Steve Rarrick, who headed the department under former attorney general Carla Stovall Steckline, said Kline "has abandoned consumers."

"I believe Attorney General (Bob) Stephan cared about consumer protection, and so did Attorney General Stovall," he said. "Mr. Kline clearly does not."

Despite my rather one-sided headline, The Eagle's story is even handed and provides good detail, comparing how consumers faired under Stovall and Kline.

I'm glad to see the Eagle finally picking up on this angle, which for some odd reason, has been largely ignored by most of the mainstream media. Kudos to the Lawrence Journal-World for being the exception.

Kansas: Phill Kline's claim of martyrdom is "baloney"

Former Kansas Attorney General Bob Stephan -- himself a born-again Christian -- is taking the current occupant of the attorney general's post to task. Current AG Phill Kline has recently begun to claim that anti-Christian sentiments are behind his failing political fortune.

Stephan notes what Attorney General Phill Kline ignores -- the fact that his Democratic opponent, Paul Morrison, is also a Christian.

Kudos to The Wichita Eagle for the comments from Stephan and for a marvelous editorial in today's paper. The Eagle writes:

The Eagle editorial board this week spoke with former Republican Attorney General Bob Stephan, who said Kline's attempt to portray his opponents as anti-Christian was "baloney." He said people are turning against Kline "because of the way he's conducted himself."

Kansas: GOP poll shows Jim Ryun trailing Nancy Boyda

By Diane Silver

What once seemed hilariously impossible now seems like a possible dream come true. Democrat Nancy Boyda may well knock off incumbent Republican Jim Ryun in the 2nd Congressional District in Kansas. Note that I'm not saying that. The source of that insight is the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The National Journal reports:

As of early this week, an NRCC poll showed Ryun down 2 points to Dem Nancy Boyda.

I realize that a 2-point lead is within the margin of error of any poll. Such a "lead" could vanish in an instant, but the fact that Boyda has any kind of a lead is rather earthshaking for Kansas politics. Charlie Cook's comments are worth reading:

"For those who were not paying close attention to politics in 1994 or whose focus was on a single state or district, the concept of a 'wave election' is foreign and is radically different from the "all politics is local" elections of 1996-2004. For others whose sympathies lie with Republicans, it is difficult to deal with the possibility, or growing probability, of a profound rejection of their party -- that Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman could actually lose an election. For diehard Democrats, who are s so used to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, they are having a hard time seeing their party actually win a majority in the House for the first time in five elections."

I'm beginning to view the Ryun-Boyda race for the 2nd Congressional District in Kansas as a bit of a canary in a coal mine. The canary served as a warning. If the bird died, then miners knew dangerous gas was building up.

The 2nd District in Kansas isn't what you'd call a liberal hotbed. Although it includes part of the most liberal town in Kansas, the district was drawn by the Republican Legislature to dilute the power of all those progressives in my hometown.

Ryun, meanwhile, is an Olympic hero with huge backing from the Religious Right. Boyda has run this campaign with little to no national help until very recently.

Cook may well be right.

Meanwhile, it's been confirmed that our not-so-beloved president is coming to Topeka to campaign for Ryun. George W. Bush will speak at a 6:20 p.m. rally at the Kansas Expocentre. You'll note that Bush isn't speaking or even getting close to Lawrence. He would not get a warm welcome here.

Kansas Politics: Phill Kline gets his records; Bob Stephan wants answers & more

By Diane Silver

Five days to the election and counting, and it's all politics all the time out here in the great iconic red state of Kansas.

First up in today's election roundup: A look at incumbent Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, who is locked in a tight race with Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison.

After what seems like an eon of legal wrangling, Kline finally received on Oct. 24 the medical records of 90 females who got abortions from two Kansas clinics. What will happen next? No one, apparently, knows.

The clinics who were forced to give over their medical records fear an election-eve raid. The Wichita Eagle urges Kline to "fish or cut bait."

Meanwhile, Kline claims that his raid on the medical records is motivated by nothing other then the wish to uncover rapes and incest and prosecute the evil doers. I find that I'm confused, though.

I have to admit that I haven't followed every twist in this case, but it is clear from the mainstream media coverage that the patient's identities were deleted from the records.

So, let me ask what may be a stupid question: How can Kline use these records to prosecute rapists or child abusers -- if the records do show those crimes -- when the records don't identify the victims? It appears that the only thing Kline can do with these records is possibly, if there's been a crime, prosecute doctors.

Honestly, I do want answers (no kidding here). I know pro-Kline people read this blog, so I ask you: What am I missing? How do you prosecute a rape if you don't know who was raped?

Coincidentally, Kline was announcing the receipt of those all-important records as former Kansas Attorney General Bob Stephan, also a Republican, was asking the state to look into possible unethical campaign fundraising by Kline.

The Lawrence Journal-World writes:

Stephan requested that the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission look into Kline's fundraising at churches and $41,552 in unitemized contributions he reported on his campaign finance statement filed this week.

...That was far more in unitemized contributions than any of the other statewide candidates listed.

For example, Kline's Democratic challenger Paul Morrison raised twice as much as Kline -- $1.25 million -- and listed only $50 in unitemized contributions.

"Unitemized contributions" mean that donors' names aren't listed. Thus, we have no idea who gave that more than $41,000 to Kline. His campaign says he will give an itemized list of donors to the state. We should pay attention to see if he does.

Finally, on the election hit parade: Details and more details on who gave how much to which candidate. These are the first detailed stories to be published now that reporters have had a chance to shift through the campaign finance reports filed on Monday.

One of the more interesting tidbits to come from these stories was the fact that a number of Republicans have given to the re-election campaign of Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Citing disgust, Kansas sheriff withdraws support for Phill Kline

The Iola Register reports that Allen County Sheriff Tom Williams -- a Republican -- has withdrawn his endorsement of Attorney General Phill Kline.

In a letter to the newspaper, Williams said he was dropping his support for the Republican incumbent because of the Kline campaign's attempt to "demonize" his Democratic opponent, Paul Morrison. Williams was upset about Kline's ads trumping up a 15-year-old unproven, uncorroborated and thrown-out-of court sexual harassment accusation made by one woman against Morrison.

Williams told the Register:

"I have withdrawn by active support for Mr. Kline and his re-election. I do not want my name or my office associated with the type of politics that tries to demonize an individual or could result in hurting his family."

Meanwhile, The Wichita Eagle's WE Blog notes "Another week, another appalling Kline ad."

For those who might have forgotten in the midst of all the mud slinging, Morrison is the long-time and well-respected district attorney in Johnson County. You can donate to Morrison through his web site.

A "welcome" change: Kansas City Star says dump Ryun for Boyda

Noting significant differences between Democratic challenger Nancy Boyda and incumbent Republican Jim Ryun, the Kansas City Star today endorsed Boyda for the 2nd District Congressional seat.

The Star writes:

Kansans in the 2nd U.S. House District who want to see significant changes in Washington have a logical choice: Nancy Boyda, an outspoken advocate for reform at home and wiser policies abroad.

In view of Washington's poor record over the last two years, the case for a determined reformer like Boyda is even stronger than when she first sought the seat in 2004.

You can contribute to Boyda's campaign by visiting her web site.

Yet another Republican can't stand it anymore

This isn't a Kansas defection, but it is still relevant because of the passion of his argument. This time the upset Republican is Balloon Juice blogger John Cole, who started with the GOP in 1984, going to county meetings and even attending Teenage Republican camp.

Cole writes:

I don't know how else to respond when people call decent men like Jim Webb a pervert for no other reason than to win an election. I don't know how to deal with people who think savaging a man with Parkinson's for electoral gain is appropriate election-year discourse. I don't know how to react to people who think that calling anyone who disagrees with them on Iraq a "terrorist-enabler" than to swing back. I don't know how to react to people who think that media reports of party hacks in the administration overruling scientists on issues like global warming, endangered species, intelligent design, prescription drugs, etc., are signs of... liberal media bias.

And it makes me mad. I still think of myself as a Republican- but I think the whole party has been hijacked by frauds and religionists and crooks and liars and corporate shills, and it frustrates me to no end to see my former friends enabling them, and I wonder "Why can"t they see what I see?" I don't think I am crazy, I don't think my beliefs have changed radically, and I don't think I have been (as suggested by others) brainwashed by my commentariat.