When Democrats get their ballots for next Tuesday’s primary elections some will scratch their heads when asked to make a decision. They will find few household names to choose among.
How about the choice among the three running for the Second District congressional seat: Cheryl Hudspeth, Sean Tevis or Thomas Koch?
Hudspeth made the most impressive pitch at the Farm Bureau forum July 14 at Iola HIgh School. She showed a thorough knowledge of national issues. She pledged to make her decisions on a cost-benefit analysis. As an example, she said the estimates of the cost of building an effective wall along the 2,000 mile Mexican-U.S. border ranged as high as $1 trillion. She pointed out that where border walls had been built they were not effective. It would be far cheaper, she said, to crack down on the hiring of illegal immigrants. If there are no jobs available, immigrants won’t come. Making certain that no illegals are hired can be done at a much lower cost than wall-building and will be more effective, she said.
She made the rest of her presentation as effectively and showed that she reaches conclusions based on fact rather than ideology. She is our pick of the three.
Two capable men with the same first name are vying for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, Chris Biggs and Chris Steineger.
Chris Biggs was ap-pointed to the office by Gov. Mark Parkinson in March of this year when Ron Thornburgh re-signed to seek the Republican nomination for governor.
Prior to that he served as Kansas securities commissioner. Biggs won the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2002 and, based on a successful record as Geary County prosecutor, came within 1 percent of defeating Republican Phill Kline.
A cum laude graduate of Kansas State University and the University of Kansas School of Law, Biggs is well-qualified by experience and character to continue serving as secretary of state.
Five Democrats are after their party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sam Brownback: Robert Conroy of Shawnee, David Haley of Kansas City, Lisa Johnston of Overland Park, Charles Schollenberger of Prairie Village and Patrick Wiesner of Lawrence.
Four are from the Kansas City area, one from Lawrence, just a few miles west. Dr. Johnston, assistant dean for student academic services at Baker University, has led the five in public opinion polls.
One must assume that the state Democratic Party made little effort to find a potential winner in their ranks and then get behind him or her. Democrats in Kansas haven’t elected a U.S. senator since 1932 and seem unlikely to break that pattern this year.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
