Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kevin Yoder set to raise money against Davids in Kansas
President Donald Trump’s former press secretary will headline a Republican fundraiser in Johnson County in April, to support Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids’ eventual opponent in Kansas’ 3rd congressional district.
The April 6 event in Mission Hills will feature Sarah Huckabee Sanders and former Rep. Kevin Yoder, who lost his 2018 re-election bid to Davids by 9 points amid an anti-Trump wave in the suburbs.
The former congressman joined a consulting and lobbying firm last year, but hasn’t ruled out a political comeback. His decision to join the fundraiser is the first sign he will actively work to oust his successor.
Huckabee Sanders, who left the White House last year, is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and is widely expected to run for Arkansas governor in 2022. Her husband, Bryan Sanders, grew up in Kansas and worked for Republican Sam Brownback during his tenure in the U.S. Senate.
The event to support Davids’ eventual opponent was organized by the National Republican Congressional Committee and Team Estes, a joint fundraising committee for Wichita Republican Rep. Ron Estes.
Suggested contributions range from $1,000 to $25,000, according to a copy of the invitation. The event will take place at the home of Nick Powell, the owner of Colt Energy, an oil and gas exploration firm.
The 3rd district, which covers Johnson, Wyandotte and Miami Counties, has a plurality of Republican voters and is one of the NRCC’s top targets this year.
In a statement, Estes’ team sought to tie Davids to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic frontrunner for president.
“The Democratic Party is showing itself as the party of socialism, and returning a representative with Kansas common sense to KS-3 is how Republicans will take back the House,” said Estes’ campaign finance chair Josh Bell.
Sanders campaigned for one of Davids’ Democratic primary opponents in 2018 and the Kansas freshman has opposed the Vermont senator’s signature “Medicare for all” legislation. Her campaign did not immediately respond.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the fundraiser to support the eventual nominee rather than a specific candidate indicates a weak GOP primary field.
“Republicans know they have a bad slate of candidates so it’s not surprising that the party establishment is already preparing to bail out their eventual nominee with money from a parade of unpopular Washington politicians,” said Brooke Goren, a spokeswoman for the DCCC.
The GOP primary race in the district currently features former Kansas Republican chair Amanda Adkins, former Roeland Park Mayor Adrienne Vallejo Foster and Sara Hart Weir, the former president of the National Down Syndrome Society.
All three are participating in the NRCC’s “Young Guns” program. Mike Beehler, a former Burns & McDonnell executive, has also announced his plans to run.
In addition to Huckabee Sanders and Yoder, the event will also feature NRCC chairman and Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, Missouri Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler, former Kansas Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins, whose consulting firm is advising Weir.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 12:33 PM.
