[This post was updated to take out the direct quotes from the Sunflower State Journal.]
Former Kansas Republican Party Chair Amanda Adkins will announce her run for Kansas’s Third District Congressional seat next month, according to former Kansas City Star reporter Brad Cooper, who now runs the Sunflower State Journal.
Adkins has not been hiding her interest in running for the seat, and is regularly mentioned in articles that note Sara Hart-Weir also running for the GOP nomination. The seat is currently held by Democrat (Nancy Pelosi-fan and follower) Sharice Davids.
Articles about Adkins will of course list her professional accomplishments, along with serving as GOP Chair:
- Vice President of Strategic Growth, at Cerner Corporation
- Founder and President at Systems of Care Initiative, Inc.
- Co-founder at Dwight D. Eisenhower Excellence in Public Service Series
- Managed Sam Brownback’s successful 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate
- Former Chairwoman at KS Childrens Cabinet and Trust Fund
But of all of these professional accomplishments, both The Star and Cooper seem to think that then-29 year-old Adkins managing a successful United States Senate campaign winning 69% of the vote, is a detriment.
Why?
Well because she helped to elect that unpopular monster Sam Brownback, of course.
And when, as GOP Chair, Adkins helped to elect Brownback to the Governor’s office and the GOP gained 16 seats in the Kansas Legislature, they say that is ANOTHER detriment for Adkins!
Because Brownback, apparently.
The KCStar says:
Adkins could also feel the drag from her connections to Brownback, who left office with a low approval rating.
Uh, what?
And Cooper adds that there are unnamed people who are concerned about her Brownback-related resume.
And then he goes on to list her accomplishments electing Republicans.
But once again, “bad because Brownback.”
Here’s some news, Kansas press peoples:
If ya worked in the Republican party or in Republican circles in the 2000s, you probably worked with, around or even for Sam Brownback.
He was a successful and popular politician.
You know HOW popular he was?
He served in STATEWIDE office from 1997 through 2017!
That would be (checking math…) TWENTY straight years.
The fact that Adkins helped elect him and other Republicans during that time should be lauded!
Now, you will find Republicans who will somehow criticize the fact that she worked for Brownback…and those Republicans are either supporting her opponent, or they have a personal axe to grind.
But it’s not “because she worked for Brownback.”
There is probably some theory that any candidate who has a whiff of “Brownback” on them will be anathema to the voters in the General election. But that’s also loser-think, and should be discarded by any reasonable person or professional pundit.
If she was in charge of the Kansas budget process in 2016? OK, maybe there’s some liability for that bunch. But instead, she was just a successful campaigner, with a whole ‘nother resume on top of it.
Which isn’t to say that KS-03 Republicans should favor her over Sara Hart-Weir, or any other GOP candidate who comes along.
But it does mean, enough with the moronic throw-away, “But Brownback!” lines that writers toss around because they have no significant insights to offer.
Oh, and next time, specify which Republicans these are that have these half-baked, alleged “reservations.” If, you know, such people actually exist.
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