The Buzz
National Democrats add Kansas Republican Steve Watkins to their 2020 target list
National Democrats have added Rep. Steve Watkins’ district to their target list as the Kansas Republican freshman faces a primary challenge and multiple legal headaches.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent more than $3.1 million in 2018 in its unsuccessful effort to flip the Kansas 2nd congressional district, which stretches from northeast Kansas to the Oklahoma border and includes Lawrence and Topeka. Watkins, a political newcomer, eked out a 1-percentage point win to keep the seat in GOP hands.
The DCCC, the party’s main campaign arm for U.S. House races, initially planned to write off the Republican-leaning district in 2020 and focus its resources elsewhere.
But Watkins’ stumbles and the entrance of Topeka’s Democratic Mayor Michelle De La Isla into the race has persuaded the DCCC to return the district to its list of targets.
“Congressman Steve Watkins has spent his first year in office distracted by scandals. With a weak Republican incumbent who barely won in 2018, Kansas’ second district presents an opportunity for Democrats to build on the historic gains we made last cycle,” Brooke Goren, spokeswoman for the DCCC, said in an email.
Watkins faces an ongoing voter fraud investigation in Shawnee County, after he registered to vote with the address of a UPS store, and may have cast a ballot in the wrong Topeka city council district in the 2019 local election.
The Republican has also spent nearly $25,000 in campaign funds on legal bills, a sign that he may be facing an investigation by the Federal Election Commission.
Kansas Treasurer Jake LaTurner launched a primary challenge against Watkins in September after former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer raised concerns about Watkins’ weaknesses as a candidate.
The two Republican campaigns blamed each other in the wake of the news of Democrats’ renewed interest in the seat.
In a scathing statement, Watkins’ campaign said LaTurner’s primary challenge had created an opening for Democrats.
“The only thing putting this seat in jeopardy is an entirely ego driven political climber forcing an expensive primary on unwanting voters. Steve Watkins has taken on the DCCC and their radical socialist agenda and won before and he’ll do it again,” Bryan Piligra, Watkins’ campaign spokesman, said in a statement.
LaTurner’s campaign fired back that the DCCC’s decision to target the seat affirms Watkins’ weaknesses as a candidate.
“It isn’t surprising that a congressman who doesn’t know his own address, who votes against Israel and the NRA, and who consistently lies about his record has put the seat in jeopardy,” the campaign said in a statement, which highlighted Watkins’ recent controversies and two of his votes from late 2019.
In November, Watkins voted in favor of a amendment that restricted trophy hunting, which had been opposed by the National Rifle Association. The following month he voted in favor of a House resolution in support of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, which had been opposed by the Republican Jewish Coalition.
“If voters want Nancy Pelosi to have another vote from Kansas, they should vote for Steve Watkins. But if they want this seat to stay in reliable Republican hands, they should vote for Treasurer LaTurner,” the campaign statement said.
Colyer, who urged LaTurner to enter the race, said he wasn’t surprised by the DCCC’s decision to pursue the seat. He said Watkins’ campaign still hasn’t shown it can raise the money or build the coalition needed to hold the seat.
“The DCCC decision, I’m surprised they didn’t do it six months ago. I’m trying to give people a warning that we’ve got to get moving here,” said Colyer, who is Washington this week.
“I look at the totality of the situation and I personally like Steve and he’s generally the voted the right way, but I’m just troubled by that whole picture.”
The primary battle ensures that the eventual Republican nominee will have had to spend heavily before the general election, which could give Democrats a shot at financially competing in the district.
The last time a Democrat won the district was 2006.
De La Isla, Topeka’s first Latina mayor, entered the race this month after another Democratic candidate, Abbie Hodgson, struggled to raise money and dropped out. De La Isla said her campaign would focus on health care and constituent services.
The Topeka Democrat said in a statement that she was honored by the support she’s received since launching her campaign.
“Kansans are looking for a member of Congress who knows the everyday struggles that people are facing and will fight to create a better future for our communities – that’s why I’m running,” she said.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP’s House campaign arm, dismissed the notion that the seat could be flipped in a presidential year.
“If the DCCC wants to waste a few more million dollars in a quixotic effort to flip a district President Trump won by nearly 20 points in a year Trump will be at the top of the ticket, we wish them the best of luck,” said Bob Salera, NRCC spokesman.
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