Will Thornburgh follow Graves path?

A 2010 gubernatorial run for veteran Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh now seems more a certainty than a likelihood. A month after announcing he’d appointed a campaign treasurer, Thornburgh told the Wichita Pachyderm Club last week, “I think the time is right for me to move forward,” and took credit for being “the leading vote-getter on the ballot” among state officeholders in 2006 and 2002 (except for Sen. Pat Roberts in 2002). First, though, he’ll have to address the “Republican in name only” reputation that drew him a conservative primary challenge last year. Thanks to (and unlike) his predecessor as secretary of state, two-term Gov. Bill Graves, Thornburgh at least shouldn’t have to convince voters that his job is sufficient preparation to be the state’s CEO. But there is that matter of Thornburgh having spent his entire adult life, since he was still a junior in college, working in one state office, a total 27 years by Election Day 2010.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

9 Comments

  1. Long Time Poster, First Time Lurker
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 6:43 am | Permalink

    Does anyone know exactly the duties and responsibilities of the Kansas Secretary of State?

    List them, please.

    Okay, running elections and counting votes.

    Next?

    The only qualification is political; whomever gets elected Secretary of State has won a state-wide campaign. Just what issues have ever been involved in a Secretary of State election? Anyone? Buhler?

    Even the rabid twice-born couldn’t ride their RINO smear against Thornburgh in the last Republic Party primary. What possible relevance was evolution or abortion to the office of Secretary of State? Thornburgh racked up his “landslide” victory against a young, underfunded Wyandotte County African-American. That’s hardly the mark of a political dynamo.

  2. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 9:11 am | Permalink

    Too bad he wont have a democratic opponent and instead, will run against mark parkinson, the chosen republican.

    Looks like the repubs in Kansas are doing just fine. They managed to control BOTH parties.

    Nice legacy governor leadership.

  3. Republican
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 9:49 am | Permalink

    Parkinson is a Johnson County snob. Don’t get me wrong, he was a useful tool as Republican Party chairman because he has rich friends, but there are not enough people in JoCo to elect a Governor without traveling to a few other cities. Thornburgh will do just fine connecting with Kansans.

  4. Steven Davis
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 10:28 am | Permalink

    Paul Morrison is already raising money to run again for Attorney General. I would not mind, at all, seeing him run for governor. He’d kick Thornbrugh’s butt more unmercifully than he did to Herr Kline’s behind.

  5. The Phantom
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 10:41 am | Permalink

    Kansas can’t afford another Graves!

  6. JWink
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 11:40 am | Permalink

    The elected offices of Kansas secretary of state, insurance commissioner, state treasurer and state printer are AWFUL sources of our Kansas governors. These office-holders are rarely tested on important state-wide issues.

    Unfortunately, these elected office holders do gain state-wide name identification over a period of years. As a result, unfortunately, many of our Kansas Governors do come from those positions.

    Kansas is geographically a large state with long distances between population centers particularly in western Kansas … so campaigning in person is very difficult. I have known good candidates for the state-wide elected positions who couldn’t develop the name recognition.

    Probably, the prefered source of Governor candidates is generally from the Kansas Senate or House of Representatives. Note: I’m not talking here about our national level Senators and Congressmen.

    I know some will respond with names of past state senators and representatives who didn’t stand up to voter scrutiny at election time.

    Exceptions to every rule of course.

  7. Tom
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 11:52 am | Permalink

    “Parkinson is a Johnson County snob.”

    Parkinson graduated from Wichita Heights High School.

  8. Kansas
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 2:07 pm | Permalink

    I think I’m related to Thornburgh, but not sure, forgot to ask my Dad about it.

  9. Econ101
    Posted August 28, 2007 at 8:24 pm | Permalink

    Thornburg did stand up to Graves, and to Dole, when Thornburg forced a primary election between Brownback and Frahm, who had been appointed to Dole’s unexpired term.

    That took guts.

    He mad the moderates mad without gaining the respect he deserves from the right, for doing the right thing.