Lt. Gov. Colyer loans $500,000 to Brownback re-election

Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer loaned $500,000 to Gov. Sam Brownback’s re-election campaign at the end of 2013.

Financial disclosure reports submitted to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission by the Brownback campaign revealed the last-minute loan from Colyer, Brownback’s Republican running-mate. The contribution pushed the governor’s total receipts for the year to $1.6 million.

Brownback’s Democratic challenger Paul Davis had $1 million in total receipts for the year.

Brownback campaign spokesman David Kensinger says the inflow of money to the governor’s campaign is an insurmountable obstacle for any challenger.

Davis campaign treasurer William Kassebaum says the Democrat’s ability to attract money in the four months since declaring his candidacy shows Brownback’s vulnerability.

This story was originally published January 12, 2014 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Lt. Gov. Colyer loans $500,000 to Brownback re-election."