The Best Hope for Kansas: A Unity Ticket for Governor

If you've read my blog at all you'll know I'm not exactly a fan of current Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.  His tax policies are corporate welfare giveaways to the Koch brothers at the expense of middle and lower income Kansans, while simultaneously draining education funding and sending the state into a perennial budget crisis when almost every other state is moving forward.  His other main focus on social issues, such as signing a law that requires doctors to lie to patients about the debunked link between abortions and breast cancer, threatens to send scores of bright, young minds away from a state that desperately needs them as younger generations become more and more socially liberal.  Brownback has got to go, especially since the Tea Party has an iron grip on the Legislature, and unseating them is likely impossible.  Can Brownback be ousted in 2014?  It will be a tremendous challenge, but it could happen.  Remember, this is a state that twice elected Kathleen Sebelius.  The state's gone hard-right since her last election in 2006, however, and so if Brownback's to get the boot, it will take a combined effort of all those who want to see him go.  Here's how I'd like it to happen.

Sebelius won because at the time Kansas was essentially a three-party state - Democrats, moderate Republicans, and conservative Republicans.  The Republicans couldn't firmly get behind a candidate, and Sebelius took full advantage.  Since then, however, the moderates have been almost totally quashed.  They don't hold any statewide offices (other than a few members of the State School Board) and their numbers in the Legislature have dwindled.  Some of them tried to challenge the "cons" in last year's primary elections, and were universally defeated.  Pragmatic, reasonable Republican voices like former Governor Bill Graves and former US Senator Sheila Frahm have been silenced.  If they want to replace Brownback as much as Democrats do, they will need to be heard.

But whom to replace him with?  I'm no dummy - the most electable candidate would be a Republican.  But that would require challenging the incumbent Brownback in a primary, backed with all the money the Kochs can throw in - a probably insurmountable task.  No, this fight will likely have to take place in the general.  Sure, a Republican could challenge Brownback as a write-in or independent candidate in November, but that would split the opposition vote with the Democratic candidate and ensure Brownback's reelection.  (I don't think there are simply enough Democratic votes left in Kansas to ride to victory on a split Republican vote.)

Paul Davis

So that leaves it to a Democrat.  Which one?  Well, there aren't many with enough name recognition to pick from.  Sebelius was well-known and respected in the state, having long served as Insurance Commissioner.  There's no Democrat left like that in Kansas.  But this week one emerged that could be up to it.  House Minority Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence has formed an exploratory committee for Governor and will make the formal announcement soon.  He's also launched a teaser website.  Davis has been leading the opposition to Brownback - such as is possible - since 2011.  He has shown he can work across the aisle, cooperating with moderate Republicans to craft a budget when the conservatives refused.  At just 41, he's certainly young, but he might be the best chance around.

He's not a perfect candidate in terms of electability - mainly because he's from "liberal Lawrence" (can't waste good alliteration), and so Brownback and his allies will have a field day calling him out of touch with most of Kansas - as we know, in the conservative mind, calling someone a liberal is pretty much the worst thing imaginable (and I doubt Brownback's squad is too worried about losing votes from Lawrence).  Never mind that KU political science professor Burdett Loomis (yikes, I had him for class...14 years ago) labels Davis a centrist with a bipartisan record.  He supports Obamacare, and therefore is a commie Socialist Obama-lover.  For this reason, I wouldn't mind there being a Democratic primary, but I worry about what effect that would have on the general election - to have any real chance, Democrats need to consolidate around one candidate, and quickly.

So let's assume Davis emerges as that consensus-builder among Democrats.  Now here's the clincher - to have a shot at winning, he absolutely must form a coalition with the moderate Republicans left in the state.  The clearest way to do this?  Pick a Republican running mate for lieutenant governor.  How about Sheila Frahm, or former LG Gary Sherrer?  Former US Rep. Jan Meyers, from the critically important Johnson County?  Rep. Sandy Duncan of Wichita?  There are quite a few to choose from, if they want the job.  I don't think Governor Graves could run due to term limits, but he could be a formidable voice on the campaign trail, being one of the most well-liked governors in Kansas history.  Choosing an elder states(wo)man from the pragmatic Republican Party of the past would send a clear signal that the young Davis wants to move the state forward by, ironically enough, reviving the more convivial political traditions of Kansas' heritage.

Would Davis do this?  Would the moderate Republicans be willing?  I don't know.  It relies on all interested parties realizing that this is the absolute best chance they have of unseating Brownback.  For his part, Davis has already taken a step in the bridge-building direction by appointing William Kassebaum, son of former US Senator and moderate Republican Nancy Kassebaum, as his campaign treasurer.  Davis will need to cast as wide of a net as possible when seeking support, extending beyond the Democratic strongholds of Lawrence and Wyandotte County to places like Johnson County, Wichita, Topeka, and even rural areas like Hays and Garden City.  To do this, he'll need all the help he can get, from representatives of both parties sending the strong, unified message that the Tea Party is incapable of governing Kansas.

No one disputes that this is a tall order.  Kansas' progressive heritage is all but forgotten (Wichita used to be a strong union town), and even its capability of pragmatic, sensible political compromise has been washed away by the Tea Party wave.  To get Kansas back on the right track, I urge Davis (or any Democratic nominee) to pick a moderate Republican as their running mate and for Kansas voters to support such a unity ticket in 2014.