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Campaign archive · 2018 campaign

September 17, 2018: Three dozen Republicans endorse Davis

This post linked to Topeka Capital-Journal coverage of a news conference at which about three dozen Republicans endorsed Davis. Here is what was reported by the outlets that covered the event.

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/2018/09/topeka-capital-journal-36-republicans-endorse-democrat-paul-davis/
Date of the original item
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Archive note written by the Public Record editors. The campaign's original text is not reproduced.

What happened

At a Statehouse news conference on Monday, September 17, 2018, 36 current and former Republican officeholders, mostly moderates from eastern Kansas, endorsed Davis. Among them were former Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer, former Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, former State Board of Education member Val DeFever, and Rep. Tom Sloan of Lawrence, who was retiring after 24 years in the House. A similar group had endorsed Democrat Laura Kelly for governor the week before.

"While we did not always vote the same way, his door and my door were always open to the other," Sloan said. Praeger said the "extreme polarized times" made the announcement more important. Davis said, "Nobody wants to send an amateur to represent them."

The response

A Watkins campaign spokesman said he did not think the endorsements would change the outcome. Voters who wanted lower taxes, stronger border security and a House speaker other than Nancy Pelosi were backing Watkins, he said, and he described the contrast as Watkins's vision against Davis's 20-year record.

Context

The event echoed July 2014, when more than 100 Republicans endorsed Davis for governor. The same day, a New York Times/Siena College poll had Davis at 45 percent and Watkins at 44, inside its 5-point margin of error.

How it turned out

Watkins won on November 6 by 2,239 votes. That November Laura Kelly, endorsed by a similar Republican group, won the governor's race.

Sources

  1. WIBW: 36 Republicans cross party lines to endorse Paul Davis (Sept. 17, 2018)
  2. Lawrence Journal-World: Davis touts moderate Republican endorsements in 2nd District congressional race (Sept. 17, 2018)
  3. KMUW: Current, former Kansas GOP officials endorse Davis (July 16, 2014)

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