TheChat: Membership on House ag committee looms as key issue in Kansas’ 1st District

Good morning.

▪ “I think the chances of him getting back on the ag committee are next to none. It’s not a gamble Kansas can take.” — Republican Roger Marshall, who's challenging incumbent Congressman Tim Huelskamp in Kansas' 1st District congressional seat.

Huelskamp's ouster from the Ag Committee was seen as a big blow to the western Kansas district and the first time ever that the representative from the 1st was not on the House's key farm committee. Huelskamp said he's confident he'll regain a seat on the committee if he's re-elected. The two debated this week.

▪ “One of the reasons I am running for Senate is because of votes like today, where Washington dysfunction has stopped Congress from responding to a public health crisis.” — Democrat Jason Kander on the failure of an anti-Zika virus funding bill in the Senate this week.

Kander's opponent, incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt, said Democratic opposition to his measure was the product of political posturing. Kander said Blunt was the one doing the posturing, as the Republican agreed to unrelated provisions on controversial matters such as contraceptive funding. (link via johncombest.com).

▪ “Based on the evidence considered, the commission did not find reasonable grounds to believe that you violated campaign finance law.” — James Klahr, executive director of the Missouri Ethics Commission, in a letter to Josh Hawley, a GOP candidate for attorney general.

Hawley had been accused of using two not-for-profits corporations to campaign for office. Note to voters: Be very, very skeptical of ethics complaints filed during the campaign season. They usually are highly political in nature. Translation: They usually don’t amount to much.

▪ “It’s more dangerous. It’s going to be far more dangerous for every one of us.” — Regina Thomson, a delegate from Colorado, on concerns over security at next month's Republican National Convention.

Concerns are mounting as police departments raise flags over how well prepared Cleveland is, and that's making some delegates nervous.