Mays out; where is conservative candidate?

Kansas House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, announced today that he was dropping out of the governor’s race because he wanted to devote his time to the upcoming legislative session. But the reality is that Mays’ candidacy failed to get much traction and the electoral writing was on the wall. Still, Mays is sharp and more practical than he was often portrayed, and I’ll miss his presence in campaign debates. His departure also raises the question: If Kansas is such a conservative state, how come it can’t field a viable conservative candidate for governor?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

7 Comments

  1. Steven E.
    Posted November 23, 2005 at 12:02 pm | Permalink

    Phillip: “If Kansas is such a conservative state, how come it can’t field a viable conservative candidate for governor?”

    Maybe, because no such creature exists???

  2. JWink
    Posted November 23, 2005 at 3:43 pm | Permalink

    As a long-time Republican precinct committeeman in Kansas (moderate on social issues, conservative on fiscal issues) — I am somewhat familiar with the Republican landscape.

    Personally, my first preference would be to see Mr. Shallenburger run again for Governor. I don’t think he was as conservative as he was portrayed by the Wichita EAGLE. However, he would still come up short in name identification against the current governor.

    So, in my opinion, Phill Kline should step up to run for governor. His time as Kansas Attorney General gives him an up to date understanding of Kansas government and current name identification. His aggressive style as a communicator might be the tonic Kansas needs to get back on track somehow. And I would like to again hear him deliver his speech of the “100 against the 10,000″ or whatever it was.

    Then invite Paul Morrison back into the Republican Party, if he would return, to run for Kansas Attorney General. Paul Morrison has been a great prosecuting attorney in Johnson County and is respected in that field by the law enforcement community of Kansas. Morrison, of course, prosecuted two major major multiple murder cases in Johnson County that I remember.

  3. Steven E.
    Posted November 23, 2005 at 3:59 pm | Permalink

    I heartily endorse JWink’s plan. It would accomplish two benefits for Kansas.1) The re-election of Kathleen Sebelius; and2) the banishing of Phill Kline into the outer darkness.

    Unfortunately for Kansas, Kline is neither courageous nor stupid enough to take on a popular incumbent governor.

  4. kelly
    Posted November 24, 2005 at 7:58 am | Permalink

    The time is ripe for Mayor Carlos Mayans to take his winning smile to the gubernatorial campaign. We all know he is a real conservative because Paul Rosell says so.

  5. Jed
    Posted November 24, 2005 at 9:57 am | Permalink

    Kelly,Yeah, losing bigtime would do wonders cutting Mayan’s ego back down to size!

  6. Joe Williams
    Posted November 24, 2005 at 11:36 am | Permalink

    Since Kathleen Sebelius is a do nothing governor, maybe it is a good thing to keep your focus on the legislature.

    Sebelius isn’t really too popular. I believe in the last poll taken, she was around the 30% approval rating. Although she has the advantage of incumbacy, if the right Republican steps in, its one-term for Sebelius. Just like old Joan Finney lost big time by Bill Graves.

    Shallenburger doesn’t have it. I haven’t heard any more on Gen. Myers. Well! Seleblius isn’t any big threat to the Republicans. So it wouldn’t matter if she wins another term. She would be a more lame duck then as she is now.

  7. XXX
    Posted November 24, 2005 at 3:54 pm | Permalink

    Most of the republicans who might be able to run for governor have at one time or another, embarrassed us. Kline would be great because of his national name recognition (another major embarrassment). Maybe republicans should draft one of the reverends, Fox or Wright.