The Kansas Democratic Party is calling on its only candidate for attorney general in the state to end her campaign following controversy over a poster in her law office that the party and others say promotes violence against police officers.
Lawrence attorney Sarah Swain is the only Democrat currently seeking the office as the state’s top law enforcement officer after the State Objections Board ruled that political performance artist Vermin Supreme did not qualify because he lives outside of Kansas.
Swain’s candidacy came under fire this week from the Kansas State Troopers Association and other police groups because of an image meant to advertise Swain’s law firm that shows DC Comics character Wonder Woman wrapping her lasso around the neck of a police officer who appears to be gasping for air.
“At a time when public servants in Kansas are giving their lives to protect the public at an alarming rate, we will not allow the senseless, divisive actions of an obnoxious few to succeed,” the troopers association said in a Facebook post Sunday, two days after two sheriff’s deputies were killed in Wyandotte County.
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The Kansas Democratic Party distanced itself from Swain and on Monday called on her to withdraw from the race.
“Promotion of violence against law enforcement officers disqualifies Ms. Swain from serving as Kansas’ chief law enforcement officer. We strongly condemn and reject any depiction of violence against law enforcement, including the image from Ms. Swain’s law firm. We did not recruit or encourage Ms. Swain to run for Attorney General, nor have we had any contact with her since she filed. The Party has reached out to her seeking an explanation of her past posts, but she has not responded,” said Ethan Corson, the party’s spokesman.
Swain could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday, but in a statement to KSHB-TV on Monday, she said that the poster, which has hung inside the front door of her law office for several years, has been misconstrued.
“It shows a female superhero wielding a lasso of truth and using the lasso to force the truth from the mouth of a police officer, a metaphor for the rigors of cross-examination, which forms the cornerstone of a zealous defense. I understand that this picture has been misconstrued by many as advocating for violence against the police and for that I apologize. I am not anti-law enforcement; I am pro-truth. And I do not condone violence in any form,” Swain said.
In the comics, Wonder Woman uses her “Lasso of Truth” to compel villains to speak honestly, but she typically wraps it around their torsos rather than their necks, as she does to the police officer in Swain’s poster.
If Swain withdraws from the race over the controversy, it will mean that incumbent Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt will run unopposed in November.
The controversy surrounding Swain’s poster comes at a time when another Kansas Democrat, Brent Welder, a congressional candidate in Kansas’ 3rd District, is facing criticism for a campaign email about the deaths of the sheriff’s deputies that led supporters to a fundraising page if they signed a petition.
Welder apologized for the email after facing bipartisan backlash and promised to donate the money raised to the deputies’ families.
The Kansas Democratic Party declined to comment on Welder’s email.
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