Moderate Republican Rep. Steve Becker of Buhler lost his primary in August, but he hasnt conceded his Kansas House seat to his conservative challenger just yet. Hes mounting a write-in campaign.
Two years ago, when Becker was elected to his third term, a slew of moderate Republicans won seats in the Kansas House. Democrats made equally substantial gains. The Legislature shifted significantly toward the center.
Then, moderate Republicans and Democrats, Becker among them, teamed up and rolled back former Gov. Sam Brownbacks tax cuts. They came within three votes of overturning Brownbacks veto to expand eligibility for Medicaid too.
The Senate isnt up this year, but conservative candidates and political groups are trying to reclaim some of the more than two dozen House seats they lost in 2016.
A rare write-in campaign
In this summers GOP primary, conservative Paul Waggoner beat Becker by a measly nine votes in the 104th District.
The 22 votes written in for Becker on Democratic ballots, according to The Hutchinson News, didnt count in the partisan primary. But with no Democrat running, Democratic voters could push Becker over the top in the general election.
Hes just a really nice person and he believes in people, said Riley Withrow, himself a Democrat. And I believe that he will look out for his constituents more than Paul Waggoner will.
Withrow grabbed a yard sign from Beckers booth at the October Third Thursday event in Hutchinson.
Becker was there with a group of supporters working to convince passersby to fill in his name on the Nov. 6 ballot. They handed out leaflets with instructions on how to do it and the tagline, Dont write him off, write him in!
It seems to me that everybody in my district ought to have a vote on who their representative is, not just Republicans, Becker said.
He says Paul Waggoner is just too conservative.
Waggoner, on the other hand, calls Becker a RINO: Republican In Name Only.
You know, maybe identity theft is not only about finances, its also about politics, Waggoner said.
