The greening of a hard red state

[atommom]

Sen. Sam Brownback, the Christian Right's great hope in 2008, in many ways reflects the Kansas Republican stereotype, including fierce opposition to abortion and more than a bit of skepticism toward evolution. Today, however, Brownback's agenda may well be more popular outside his home state than in it.

Ten years ago, Kansas could only be considered the reddest of red states. Every state officeholder save one was a Republican, as were its four U.S. House members. Republicans held overwhelming majorities in the state legislature, they outnumbered Democrats in the electorate by 2 to 1, and native son Bob Dole had just run as the GOP candidate for president.

But the seeds of a Democratic comeback had already been planted. That single Democratic state official, Kathleen Sebelius, won her first race for insurance commissioner in the Republican landslide year of 1994 and quickly established her credentials as a prospective gubernatorial candidate. In 1997, former district attorney Dennis Moore won a suburban Kansas City congressional seat.

Even more important, the Kansas Republican Party had begun to implode. Social conservatives, many with direct ties to the anti-abortion movement, had taken over the party in 1994, and by 1996 even Dole was not at home within the party's ranks. Social conservatives came to dominate primary elections for governor, attorney general, the state school board and many state legislative seats. More and more traditional Republicans of the Dole stripe found themselves on the outside of a party dominated by the Religious Right politics that author Thomas Frank detailed in "What's the Matter With Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America."

But the social conservatives did precious little to develop a strong, inclusive party organization; rather, they attacked moderates in primary elections and within the state legislature. At the same time, led by Rep. Moore and Gov. Sebelius, the Democrats steadily constructed a sturdy organization that could raise real money and target its core partisans, along with independents and the growing ranks of disaffected Republicans.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2752.html

[Fovea]

1. In Kansas City Kansas

I think the voting population is to the left of the officialdom, both at a local, state, and congressional level.

The problem has been that KCK ran far to the left of say, Piper and Rosedale. But I think the laisser faire, culture war right has turned victory into a national embarrasment that has shamed the snake-handling, fag-bashing voters back into their meth-labs.

On a state level, I think the political center has shifted from Manhattan toward Lawrence, maybe even Kansas City Kansas. Or perhaps Emporia.

I predict that Wichita is going to be far more politically active in the future, having pryed Ryun's dead hand off the area. I think they are also getting tired of being punked as a one biz town.

[Big Unit]

2. In The Future?

While we cannot brag about having a Democrat representing us in Congress, it is not necessary to "predict" that Wichita is going to become more liberal. Indeed, the Sedgwick Cty. Demo. Party succeeded in defeating two neo-conservative Kansas statehouse incumbents, plus a County Commission Republican incumbent was defeated. We narrowly (by 104 votes) missed defeating a third incumbent House Republican. Next door south of us in Sumner Cty, another conservative Republican incumbent was defeated. There were only 5 incumbent Republicans in the entire state who were defeated, so what does that have to say about NE Kansas?

The Governor won Sedgwick Cty. by a 5% margin, and AG Morrison won Sedg. Cty. by an even larger margin. In terms of registration, the ranks of people registered as independent increased. Registered Ds dropped by 1.5% (damn!) but registered Republicans decreased by 4.5% (that's more like it!). There is a lot of work down here remaining to do to help voters continue to pick Democratic candidates in 2008. Tiahrt needs to join Ryun in the history books. But PLEASE don't talk about Wichita/Sedgwick County as somewhere to hope for political enlightenment to happen. We defeated more incumbent Statehouse Republicans last year than you did.

[Fovea]

3. Good On You!

I stand corrected.
Now let's all work on Throwback and Robbers!