Who can beat Sharice Davids? Kansas Republican 3rd district candidates joust in debate
The Republicans seeking to oust Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids jockeyed Friday over who could best win back suburban women and other voters, with promises to focus on “kitchen table” issues like health care and to fight what one called “the creep of socialism” in Washington.
The trio of candidates — Amanda Adkins, Sara Hart Weir and Adrienne Vallejo Foster — pushed GOP activists to weigh who is best-positioned to take on Davids, a first-term House member, during a debate Friday in Olathe that kicked off the Kansas Republican Party’s annual convention.
“This election is about one question and one question only: who can beat Sharice Davids?” said Foster, a former Roeland Park mayor.
The debate came as President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial approached its final hours ahead of a certain acquittal. But the Senate proceedings that have dominated the news were not mentioned once during the debate as candidates trumpeted the president’s tax cuts and the strong economy.
The contenders largely avoided direct attacks on each other, but still sought to use the roughly hour-long debate to stake out their plans to defeat Davids.
Weir, a disability rights advocate, said voters want to see Congress work. She referenced her involvement in advancing the ABLE Act, a law designed to help people with disabilities save money.
“I think the need to bring back some of those suburban moms to the Republican Party really is a metaphor for our ability to lead on some of these kitchen table issues,” Weir said.
Adkins, a former Kansas Republican Party chairwoman, emphasized her history of advocating for children. Under Gov. Sam Brownback, Adkins chaired the Kansas Children’s Cabinet, which oversees early childhood programs across the state.
Adkins said she has a long-term vision and is focused on “achieving for kids.”
“That is my message to professional women. That is my message to mothers, whether they work in or outside of the home,” Adkins said.
Foster, whose grandparents immigrated legally from Mexico, said when she’s spoken with “soccer moms,” especially moderate Republicans, about why they voted for Davids, they respond that “she looks different. She was a woman. She was a woman of color.”
“They were tired of the same ol’ same ol’. And they liked me, not only because of my diversity, but also because I’m educated, I have the resume and I can beat Sharice Davids,” Foster said.
But even as the candidates promised to reach out to swing voters, they also provided the convention audience of party faithful a healthy serving of red meat.
“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Weir said in her opening statement. “Our congressional district is not at the table. It’s been hijacked by New York City and San Francisco liberals.”
Foster said Davids doesn’t represent values the country was founded on, like “family, faith and freedom.” Adkins called out what she labeled a “creep of socialism” in the Democratic Party.
In a preview of how Democrats would defend Davids in the general election, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a memo to reporters ahead of the debate saying Weir believes Medicaid is “socialized Medicine” and calling Foster “wildly out of step with pragmatic Kansans.” The memo also said Adkins “quarterbacked Brownback’s disastrous agenda.”
Former Gov. Jeff Colyer said in an interview that Davids is a “smart politician,” who is both aggressive and strategic.
“I think the people who run against have to be smart, have to be very aggressive and this is going to be a tough race. You’ve got to do grassroots. You’ve got to do media. You’ve got to do the whole thing,” Colyer said.
Underscoring the challenge Republicans face, Davids enters the year with a large cash advantage. The incumbent Democrat has more than $1.5 million cash on hand after raising roughly $579,000 during the final three months of 2019.
Adkins leads the GOP field with more than $383,000 cash on hand after raising more than $200,000 during the final quarter of 2019, according to her report filed with Federal Election Commission.
Weir, who entered the race in July, late Friday reported roughly $280,000 cash on hand after raising nearly $88,000 for the quarter.
Foster, who launched her campaign in October, pulled in more than $102,000 including her own nearly $9,300 contribution. But she has already spent the bulk of that money and had less than $31,000 in the bank as of January 1.
Ed Howell, a Stilwell resident, supports Foster and said the debate didn’t change his mind. But he said he would vote for any of three.
As for what he thinks about Davids: “I don’t think we want to go there. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Carol Webb, an Overland Park resident, said after the debate she’s trying to decide between Foster and Adkins. She called both “fantastic” and noted their support of Trump, which she said was important.
“But all three are impressive. I’ll vote for any of the three in November,” Webb said. “And the primary will just make them stronger candidates.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 8:02 PM.
