Paul Davis on jobs and the Kansas economy

2014: "back on track"

When Davis rolled out his economic plan on June 30, 2014, he named two economic advisers from different parties: Gary Sherrer, a Republican who was lieutenant governor under Gov. Bill Graves, and John Moore, a Democrat who served under Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The plan paired a freeze on income tax rates with a bipartisan commission on "targeted incentives for job growth" and relief from local property taxes. Davis said the state faced a $1.2 billion shortfall over five years. "We cannot clean up Sam Brownback's mess overnight," he said.

His fall campaign brochure, preserved by the Democracy in Action archive, was built around two promises, restoring the commitment to public schools and getting "the Kansas economy back on track." It cited figures from Brownback's own Council of Economic Advisors showing Kansas trailing Missouri and other Midwestern states in job growth and new businesses, and the state's credit rating downgrades.

The other side. Brownback argued the tax cuts would draw businesses and that growth would close the budget gap. His campaign said Davis had criticized cuts that followed budgets he himself had voted for in 2009 and 2010.

2018: infrastructure and bipartisanship

In 2018 Davis's campaign pointed to his time as minority leader, saying he had helped build the coalition that passed the state's largest transportation program. A Kansas News Service profile in December 2017 reported his pledge to work across party lines on health care, taxes and the environment. We found little reporting on specific federal economic proposals beyond trade (see agriculture and rural Kansas) and taxes.